Outliers get a bad rap in data. But to paraphrase the economist Robert Shiller, “the outliers matter the most.” When that’s the case, you want to find that outlier and put it on a stage. Here are two ways to track them down and then show them off.

Let’s get right to it: just because everyone’s talking about data visualization and data analysis and big data doesn’t mean that any of it’s easy. The best part of having data is using it to make decisions. But if you have bad data, the truth is that you’re only going to make bad decisions.

The secret to making made-in-Excel graphs beautiful and professional? Don't let them look like you made them in Excel.

These two TED talks use data visualizations to communicate in a way that numbers or words can’t. These methods can be especially applicable for financial data.

If entrusting data analysis to those who don’t know how to do it sounds a bit dangerous, it can be. So let’s talk about this data literacy thing and how you can encourage and help those you work with to develop it.

Everyone knows the clichés of the graph world--bar charts, pie charts, line graphs. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with them. But when what you want to show doesn’t fit neatly into the box of a bar graph or line graph, turn to more specialized graphs, like waterfall and sunburst charts.

Telling a great story means starting with the story, not the data. So start with your purpose--do you want to convince your CEO to allocate resources differently? Do you need to show your board that you’re growing faster than your competitors--and then stir in the numbers slowly and regularly.