Illustrate | Communicate FINESSE

1 day ago3 min read

The Top Fin of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram

Big decisions take months or years to make, involve an inner circle of advisors, require some math, and evolve through uncertainty.

Nov 252 min read

Do Merged Cells Create Better Tables in Excel?

Use shading, borders, and other formatting options to visually group related cells without merging.

Mar 152 min read

How the I in FINESSE Creates Effective Communication to Senior Management

The I in FINESSE stands for Illustrate. Illustrate includes all the visuals, graphics, videos, and other media used in technical reports...

Jan 82 min read

Got Excel? 3 Ways Technical Professionals Can Improve Data Visualization with FINESSE

This 3-part series on improving data visualization was inspired first by Microsoft Excel and second by Edward Tufte. Tufte is the guru of...

Dec 19, 20232 min read

Visualization Tip: Excel's Data Validation Empowers Effective Technical Communication

Using the Data Validation feature in Excel improves visualizations by ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and reliability. Using the...

Dec 12, 20232 min read

Visualization Tip: Use Sparklines to Show Trends in Technical Communications

Sparklines are a powerful visualization tool to convey trends and patterns quickly. Sparklines can be seamlessly integrated into text and...

Dec 5, 20232 min read

Visualization Tip: Maximize Data or Drop the Graphic

The data-to-ink ratio is a helpful way to create powerful graphics. Simultaneously, your graphics also become more accessible. And if you...

Oct 15, 20231 min read

Six Essential Visuals for Effective Technical Communication

Decision makers will give you about 10 minutes of attention. You do not have the time to explain complex visuals. Keep it concise with...

Aug 31, 20233 min read

Why Tables Are More Effective Than Graphs in Business Communication

A table is a systematic arrangement of data. Graphs are simply a concise method for depicting large amounts of data. The central issue in...

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