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Making It Stick: How to Present Data So People Actually Listen

  • Writer: Jonathan Eyres
    Jonathan Eyres
  • 20 hours ago
  • 2 min read

A woman in a gray suit presents to three people in a boardroom, pointing at a whiteboard with text "Making It Stick: How to Present Data So People Actually Listen."

Let’s be honest—most marketing data presentations are about as exciting as a beige wall. They’re bloated, boring, and packed with charts that look like they were designed by someone who’s never spoken to another human being. If your audience is zoning out before slide three, your data isn’t the problem. Your delivery is.


Good data presentations don’t just inform. They land. They make people lean in, nod along, and say, “Okay… now what?”


1. Why Good Data Still Falls Flat

Because most people think showing the data is the same as telling the story. It’s not.

  • People don’t remember numbers—they remember moments.

  • They don’t recall the chart; they remember the insight that made their eyebrow raise.

  • Your job isn’t to dump data on them. Your job is to make them care.

2. Hook First, Numbers Later

Nobody wants to be greeted by a wall of bar graphs. Start with a punch.

  • “We spent less this quarter… and made more money.” (Now you’ve got them.)

  • Lead with the why it matters before you get to the how it happened.

  • Your opener should make people perk up—not check email.

    Two people in an office; one yawning, the other asleep on documents. A laptop and coffee cup are on the table. Mood: exhausted.

3. Say Less, Show More

One insight. One chart. That’s it.

  • Highlight the important number. Circle it. Bold it. Make it obvious.

  • No more 8-column tables that require binoculars to read.

  • If your graph needs a five-minute explanation, it’s not a graph—it’s a cry for help.

4. Design for Humans, Not Robots

  • Minimal slides. Big headlines. Clear fonts.

  • Color is emphasis—not confetti.

  • If your slide looks like a rainbow exploded, start over.

  • Rule of thumb: If someone can’t understand it in five seconds, it doesn’t belong.

5. Tell the Story

Data doesn’t speak for itself. You speak for it.

  • Problem → Insight → Action. That’s your holy trinity.

  • Speak conversationally, not like you’re reading a quarterly earnings call.

  • People remember narratives, not chart titles.

    An instructor with a headset presents to a seated audience. Attendees, in business attire, are distracted on phones. Yellow door in background.

6. Handle Tough Questions Like a Pro

  • Know your numbers cold. Anticipate what people will ask.

  • Keep a couple of “backup slides” with the nerdy details.

  • When challenged, don’t waffle. Context + clarity = confidence.

7. End with a Next Step

If your audience leaves with no action, what was the point?

  • Budget reallocation. Campaign launch. Strategy shift. SOMETHING.

  • Don’t end with “And that’s the data.” End with “Here’s what we’re doing about it.”

8. Pro Tip: Don’t Read the Slides

Seriously. Don’t. Slides are your wingman, not your script. People can read—use your voice to sell the story.

Final Thoughts

Your data might be gold, but presentation turns it into impact. Keep it short, make it sharp, and deliver it like someone who actually believes the numbers matter.

Because if you don’t make people care about the data… no one else will.

Next Up: A bonus piece: “How to Build a Reporting Rhythm That Doesn’t Eat Your Life.”


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