I offer virtual and on-site half-, full-, and multi-day workshops in data visualization, presentation design, and tools including Excel, R, and Tableau. Every workshop is hands-on and practical — you’ll leave with skills and strategies you can apply immediately.
Contact me to discuss your organization’s needs.
Core Principles of Data Visualization
Data visualization plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts — yet it’s often treated as an afterthought rather than an integral part of the analysis process. This workshop changes that.
This workshop covers:
- An overview of the data visualization field
- An introduction to different graphic types and their purposes
- Best practices and strategies for creating effective visualizations
Participants work with real data sets and graphics to apply what they’ve learned.
Better Presentations: An Introduction to Presentation Design and Techniques
Most people who work with data present their analysis by converting a written document into slides — the result is usually a text-heavy deck full of bullet points and charts too complex for an audience to follow.
This workshop shows you a better way. You’ll learn how to design and deliver presentations that are clear, memorable, and built with your audience in mind.
This workshop covers:
- Techniques to plan and structure a presentation
- Design ideas for more effective slides
- Strategies to be a more confident, compelling presenter
Participants work in small groups with provided worksheets and sample presentations throughout.
Data, Designed
In this special workshop, I team up with Stefanie Posavec, a London-based designer known for her work in data visualization and information design. The entire workshop is off-screen — I cover core data visualization principles in the morning, and Stefanie leads hands-on design and conceptualization in the afternoon.
Participants work with a simple data set that they explore, sketch, and ultimately turn into a visualization using pen and paper — no software required.
Introduction to Data Visualization in Excel
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to extend Excel’s data visualization capabilities beyond the defaults — creating cleaner, more effective charts and graphics for your data.
This workshop covers:
- Basic and advanced formulas: IF, SUMIF, VSTACK, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, and more
- Data importing features
- Spreadsheet charting and conditional formatting
- General Excel visualization tips and tricks
- Advanced techniques, including using AI tools to write VBA code
Participants work individually and in small groups, with hands-on exercises throughout.
Introduction to Flourish
Flourish is a powerful data visualization tool that lets you create interactive charts, maps, and data stories — no coding needed. From bar charts to beeswarms to scrollytelling narratives, this workshop will add a new and versatile tool to your data visualization toolbox.
This workshop covers:
- An overview of Flourish and how to import and upload data
- Basic data visualizations including bar charts, line charts, maps, and tables
- How to create custom color palettes and styles
- Techniques for building interactive and animated visualizations
- Best practices for data storytelling and narrative design
Participants work directly in Flourish throughout, and leave with the skills to transform raw data into compelling visual narratives for presentations, reports, and beyond.
Introduction to Tableau
This hands-on Tableau workshop includes sample data, exercise documentation, and a final workbook. The format combines follow-along demonstrations, independent exercises, and group work.
This workshop covers:
- An overview of Tableau and how to import data
- Basic data visualizations including tables, bar charts, line charts, and maps
- How to create custom color palettes and shapes
- Essential techniques for getting started with Tableau
Participants work individually and in small groups throughout, and leave with sample data, exercise documentation, and a copy of the final workbook.
Introduction to R
In this workshop, I team up with Aaron Williams, a data scientist at the Urban Institute specializing in data visualization, mapping, and statistical analysis. Together we cover the practical R skills that will improve the quality of your work.
This workshop begins with a clear motivation, followed by explanation and code walkthroughs, and ends with hands-on examples. Available as three separate workshops: Introduction to R, Data Visualization in R, and Creating R Tools for Organizations.