sketch your data

I’m a huge proponent of low-tech planning prior to the creation of materials like graphs, slides, or presentations. (Coincidentally, planning your presentation is the topic of the latest SWD podcast episode, in which I cover some of my favorite low-tech strategies.) Sometimes I feel like a broken record when it comes to this, but one of my favorite tools has always been a blank piece of paper. By its very nature, it’s full of opportunity, and beckons to me to be filled. And, while thought goes into me committing pen to paper, it’s still easy to iterate and discard ideas that don’t pan out in the way I imagined.

That said, some people prefer to use instruments of the more technical sort—even for the upfront planning. There isn’t anything wrong with that, so long as it’s approached in an effective way. Particularly if you still have a writing implement in your hand (even if it isn’t filled with lead or ink), thoughtful planning can happen on a screen, too.

Simon illustrates this to great effect in the following video. Watch it to gain appreciation for the value of sketching data to iterate through different approaches, assess what works best, and then use your selected tools to bring it to life.

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