Let Your Data Speak.
Join us in the pursuit of effective data communication. Explore tutorials, learn best practices, and review graph remakes; listen to top minds in the fields of data, data visualization, and presentation skills on The PolicyViz Podcast; and interact with the community in HelpMeViz.
Books
My books cut through the noise to help you become a stronger, smarter data communicator. You’ll learn how to present, visualize, and deliver your data in ways that actually connect with people—no coding, design, or stats degree required.
They’re being used in classrooms around the world to teach the next generation how to communicate clearly and confidently. And in organizations across every sector—private, public, nonprofit—they’re helping teams turn complex data into messages that stick and stories that move people.
Data Visualization in Excel
- This is the first book available on the market that shows people how to create more advanced data visualizations in the Excel software tool. It provides step-by-step instructions and downloadable Excel files, that readers can use to expand how they use Excel and communicate their data to their audiences.
- Through how-to tutorials for more than 20 advanced graph types, readers will move beyond the standard area, bar, line, and pie charts to heatmaps, waffle charts, dot plots, slope charts, cycle plots, and more.
- Visit the CRC Press website to download accompanying, editable Excel files.
Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks
- Learn about principles of visual perception and data visualization best practices.
- Expand your graphic literacy by learning about more than 80 different visualization types
- Learn how to define your audience and goals, and choose the chart, graph, or diagram that best fits for your data.
Elevate the Debate: A Multilayered Guide to Communicating Your Research
- This book helps researchers, analysts, and scholars to use traditional and digital media environments to their advantage.
- Real-world guide helps readers present their data-driven research with greater clarity, coherence, and impact.
- An array of practical strategies and proven techniques enables readers to make their research accessible to diverse audiences, form engaging narratives, and design and implement meaningful outreach plans.
Better Presentations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks
- Takes you through the entire process of building, designing, and giving a presentation.
- Details essential strategies for developing clear, sophisticated, and visually captivating presentations.
- Follow three core principles―visualize, unify, and focus―to create better, more effective presentations.
Podcasts
Episode #280: Data for a Continent: Inside the European Correspondent’s Visual Journalism
In this episode, I chat with Mandy Spaltman and Sebastian Graeff, co-leads of the data team at The European Correspondent, a volunteer-driven journalism initiative covering news across Europe. They discuss how their team of passionate designers and analysts craft daily…
Episode #279: Data Are Local: Context, Power, and Storytelling with Yanni Loukissas
In this episode of the PolicyViz Podcast, I speak with Yanni Loukissas, an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech, about the importance of context in working with data. Yanni argues that data are not universal but local—shaped by their origins, environments,…
Episode #278: Exploring the Evolution of Data Visualization with Moritz Stefaner
In this week’s episode of the PolicyViz Podcast, I sit down with data visualization expert Moritz Stefaner to reflect on his journey in the field. We discuss Stefaner’s work on the Data Stories Podcast, his shift from bespoke data visualization…
Episode #277: Engage, Elevate, Communicate: Davina Stanley on Crafting Clear Business Messages
In this episode of the PolicyViz Podcast, I chat with communication expert Davina Stanley about the power of clear and structured messaging in business communication. Davina shares insights from her books Engage and Elevate, discussing how leaders and teams can…
Workshops
I offer virtual and on-site half-, full-, and multi-day workshops in data visualization, presentation skills, and data visualization tools including Excel, PowerBI, R, and Tableau. Workshop attendees will expand their graphic literacy and learn best practices to create more effective graphs and data visualizations. They will also gain knowledge about what types of visualizations work best for their audience and why. I will also work with your current visualization projects and suggest redesigns that will illustrate what better data visualization means for you and your content.
I bring my experience as a Ph.D. economist to your data. We will not only explore how to communicate your work but can also explore the statistical underpinnings–the theoretic. Beyond an ordinary workshop, I also offer project-specific consulting services to help you and your teamwork better with your data and create more effective graphs, interactive visualizations, infographics, and more.
Public Workshops
Check out my public data visualization and presentation workshops, held around the world at various times during the year! More details on this page.
Virtual Webinars
Many of my standard workshop and speaking topics can be easily adapted to a webinar format. Webinars are typically limited to 60- to 90-minutes and include a combination of polls, chats, and interactive exercises.
Core Principles of Data Visualization
The study of data visualization—the visual representation of data—plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts. Organizations tasked with producing, releasing, and analyzing large amounts of data can more effectively analyze and communicate their work by understanding how to better visualize their data. Often, however, visualizing results comes as a last-second addition to the output and secondary to the analysis, which ultimately limits the effective relay of information.
Introduction to Presentation Design and Techniques
Most people who work with data approach the task of presenting analysis by converting a written document into slides. Unfortunately, the result is often a text-heavy presentation saddled with bullet points, stock images, and graphs too complex for an audience to decipher―much less understand.
Effective Data Communication in Excel
In this hands-on workshop, we explore how to expand the data visualization capacities of the Microsoft Excel software tool. Though there are more and more tools available to analyze and visualize data, Excel continues to be the leader in the field, used by millions around the world every day.
Speaking Topics
I would love to speak at your event. My customizable presentations aim to help you and your teams process, visualize, present, and communicate your data. Most presentations are about 40 minutes with additional time reserved for Q&A and discussion.
I also offer shorter presentations, workshops; breakout sessions; and panel presentations. I can tailor my presentations and workshops to the needs of your organization and event. I am flexible in working with your presentation equipment and set-up; please contact me to discuss the details. I am also available for virtual presentations, workshops, and webinars–all are designed with the restrictions technology brings and the comfort of the audience in mind.
Please see below for more information about the topics I can cover for your organization, or contact me to discuss your speaking needs. My Portfolio includes some recent presentations and some videos to see me in action.
Data Visualization Done Differently
The data visualization field combines data analysis, graphic design, journalism, and statistics and aims to help analysts in a variety of fields provide their audience with greater insights into their research or products. In this presentation, I lay the groundwork for how to use data visualization to more effectively communicate.
Better Data Communication
A first step to improving the way you communicate data and analysis is to have some basic understanding of best practices and strategies. In this talk, I lay out three principles for better data visualization
Better Presentations
When faced with the prospect of giving a presentation, researchers and analysts often simply convert their reports to slides: text is converted to bullets, and figures and tables are simply copied and pasted. The problem with that approach is that presentations are a fundamentally different form of communication than are reports or journal articles.
Data Currency — Unlocking Value With Visualization
Most organizations recognize the innate value of data, and are beginning to trade in its powerful currency. But this has not wholly erased the challenges data and analytics leaders face when trying to illustrate how data can unlock potential business value. Enter data visualization.
Once Upon a Time: From Data to Stories
The word “stories” has become synonymous with visualizing and presenting data. But contrary to what most people actually mean, most of us do not tell stories when we visualize data. In this talk, I investigate how we define storytelling and contrast it with a definition of storytelling to demonstrate how most of us are not really telling stories with data.
Details and Logistics
My presentations are usually 35-45 minutes with additional time for Q&A and discussion. I also offer shorter presentations, half-, full-, and multi-day workshops; breakout sessions; and panel presentations. I often tailor my presentations to the needs of your organization and event. I am flexible in working with your presentation equipment and set-up; please contact me to discuss the details.
Past Speaking Events
I have enjoyed presenting to many audiences on each of these topics. Please take a look at a few examples from my Portfolio or see Testimonials.
Consulting Services
I can help you create effective and stunning data visualizations, reports, and slide decks. I leverage my expertise in data visualization and presentation skills to help you communicate your data in better ways. With my background in economics, I can help explore your data to help pull out insights and discoveries, be it through descriptive statistics or more complicated modeling. I have worked with people and organizations across multiple sectors to help them create visualization products and presentation slide decks that will help you and your reader or audience find insights and make discoveries.
My Expertise
Data Visualization
Create better, more effective graphs, charts, and tables.
Infographics
Help develop and build economic models to reach solutions and gain insights.
Reports
Let me help you develop, lay out, and design your next paper, report, issue brief, or blog post.
Presentation Slides
I can help you and your teams create better, more effective presentation slides.
About the Founder
Jonathan Schwabish
Hello, I’m Jonathan Schwabish—an economist by training and a leading voice in data communication. Over the past decade, I’ve focused on helping researchers, analysts, and organizations communicate their data more effectively. On this site, you’ll find blog posts, tutorials, the PolicyViz Podcast, and a range of resources designed to improve how we present and share information. In addition to these materials, I offer teaching, speaking, and consulting services to support more effective, evidence-based communication. If you’re interested in working together or just want to connect, I’d love to hear from you.
Testimonials
I have been remiss in not thanking you for the terrific workshop you gave for Peterson last week. I’ve been drawing graphs of economic data for 45 years, and yet still feel that I learned a lot from your session. I was particularly impressed that — in an era when it’s so easy to let one’s attention wander in a virtual setting, you held mine for four hours. Whenever I see a great graph in the future, I’ll think of you, and some of the principles you laid out.
David Wilcox
Your presentation was terrific! I heard many favorable comments about your lecture, and I am confident that it will attract a substantial audience when we post it on the NBER website later this summer. I really appreciate the time and energy that you devoted to preparing your lecture.
James Poterba
Jon’s workshop was really good, honestly! I consider myself quite advanced on the topic and have attended many “Visualization” workshops in the past that did not teach me much. This one really allowed me to raise my level and I will be using those templates and scripts very soon!
Yves Froude
The workshop was perfect. I loved the workshop aspect and the comprehensive educational approach to get us to gain the understanding to then be able to practice.
Andrea Mauro
I speak for all of my colleagues here at the U.S. Department of State in expressing our gratitude to you for a most engaging presentation at our agency’s monthly Evaluation Community of Practice meeting. Before and after the presentation, the staff was excited about getting insights on the power of data visualization in both processing and presenting data, such as evaluation information, to various stakeholders. We very much appreciate you giving us your time and insights, as well as links to additional resources and information. The use of data visualization techniques is a burgeoning field in federal agencies, so your remarks and accompanying materials will help move us further along the continuum of presenting data in visually appealing and informative ways.