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when working with numerical data in word
sometimes a chart is just what you need
to show the meaning behind the numbers
in this video we're going to look at
some of the different types of charts
and also some ways that you can
customize them to best represent your
data column charts are good all-around
charts they work with many different
types of data
whereas line charts are best for showing
trends over time
pie charts are unique because they let
you see your data in proportion instead
of on a graph
we also have the bar chart which is
basically just a column chart turned on
its side
and finally area charts which are
similar to line charts except the areas
under the lines are filled in to create
a chart go to the insert tab then click
the chart command and the list of
choices will appear I think I'll start
with something in the column category
this one looks nice and simple click OK
and then something interesting happens
word will open a spreadsheet similar to
what you'll find in Excel where you can
start entering your data all you have to
do is type your information over the
placeholder text and word will update
the chart in your document see how it
works now we just need to
our sales figures we're going to be
covering the last five years from 2008
to 2012 anything you want to include in
your chart has to be inside this little
blue box but don't worry it'll expand
automatically as you continue to type
next to save some time we're going to
copy and paste the rest of the data from
an existing worksheet in Excel this
option is great if you already have your
data recorded elsewhere all you have to
do is go to the worksheet in Excel and
copy the data you want to use
then go back to word and paste it here
by pressing ctrl V on your keyboard and
word will update the chart automatically
when you're done click the X to close
the spreadsheet window you can also give
your chart a title if you want to go
back to the chart and
corrections click the Edit data command
on the design tab and the window will
open again charts are designed to help
you illustrate your point just like
illustrations in a book therefore things
like color layout and chart type really
do matter for example right now the
columns are grouped by genre but I'm
more interested in taking a look at
trends over time that means we need to
group the data by year instead luckily
we don't have to start over just make
sure you have the Edit data window open
then click the chart to select it next
click the command that says switch row /
column and that's all it takes
see how the chart has been rearranged
basically the years and the genres have
switched places you can always
experiment with this to see which option
is going to work best if you want to try
a different chart altogether click the
change chart type command on the far
right of the tab then pick something
else from the dialog box I think I'll go
with a line chart this time line charts
work
for data like this for example we can
see right away that sci-fi and fantasy
had an unusually good year in 2008 and
also that romance novels are starting to
catch up in sales if you want you can
change the chart style to give your
chart a different look as you can see
you have several different options to
choose from you can also change the
chart layout itself just go to the quick
layout command and make a selection from
the menu not all of these options will
work for the data you're working with
just keep going until you find something
you like why don't we go with something
like this you can make further
adjustments using the chart elements
shortcut just look for the button with
the plus sign here you can add or remove
elements from your chart depending on
your preferences or you can click the
arrow to the right to access even more
options
charts are a great choice for presenting
numerical data in Word and also
enhancing your documents with so many
design options to choose from you can
achieve exactly the look you want