Say it with a chart. Why use 1000 words when you can say it visually! In fact, mastery over creating pertinent and interesting charts can turn a 'bored' meeting into a more meaningful endeavour, or a boring text into a memorable read. They act as a hook, offering detail and clarity, for fast and memorable understanding.

Some types of information lend themselves well to forms other than charts. For example chains of reasoning are best presented in text paragraphs or in bullet points. If there is an emphasis on presenting a large amount of statistical data, then a statistical table will be in order. But for other information, such as trends and breakdowns, charts are the most vivid and memorable, therefore the most effective format.

The three basic chart types In plain terms, a chart is nothing but a visual representation of data. It is some type of diagram, or graph, or map, that organises and represents a set of numerical or qualitative data.

There are three kinds of fundamental charts: pie chart, bar chart and line chart. Pie charts are circular charts divided into sectors which typically represent percentages. They are effective in displaying information when you want to represent the magnitudes of different parts of a whole. For example, if you want to present market share of different players, then this is the chart form that you need to employ. Simplest of the lot, it can represent only one data series."