Format

This course will be delivered via Zoom on the 30 April 2026. The Zoom link will be emailed to participants the day before the course is due to take place.

Who should attend

This course is ideal for professionals who work with data and want to present it clearly and effectively. It is designed for accountants, managers, analysts and business professionals who already have an intermediate knowledge of Excel and a basic understanding of PowerPoint. Anyone responsible for creating reports, dashboards or presentations will benefit by learning how to turn raw data into meaningful visuals that support better decision-making.

Course overview

• Understanding and selecting relevant data for reporting
• Creating and formatting pivot tables and slicers
• Using conditional formatting to highlight key insights
• Building interactive dashboards in Excel
• Designing and decluttering tables and charts for clarity
• Creating advanced chart types (combo, slope, target line, etc.)
• Enhancing visuals with images, icons and secondary axes
• Importing and linking Excel data into PowerPoint
• Designing engaging slide templates, layouts and transitions
• Animating charts and adding narrative for impactful presentations

Key learning outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to understand and apply:

• Analyse and interpret business data effectively using Excel.
• Create professional dashboards with pivot tables, slicers and conditional formatting.
• Design clear and visually appealing charts, including combo and dynamic charts.
• Apply best practices to declutter and present data for decision-making.
• Integrate Excel data seamlessly into PowerPoint presentations.
• Build engaging PowerPoint reports with templates, animations and narratives.
• Present data-driven insights through impactful visual storytelling.

All participants should please note:

• Microsoft Office/ Apps Version 

Participants should have a Microsoft 365 subscription but supported older desktop versions are workable.

• Excel for Mac Users

Microsoft Excel 365 for Mac has some incompatibilities with Windows and certain features are not available.  Contact us before booking if you are in any doubt about your setup.

• Windows 11 / 10 ESU

We prepare the files and deliver the course using Windows 11 but Windows 10 on Extended Support is fine. 

• Two monitors recommended

This allows better viewing of the trainer's screen and relevant Microsoft 365 application or AI site. If you only have a single screen, please inform us prior to the course.

• Test Session

If you would like to test your connection and setup prior to your course, please contact info@professional.ie or 01 6627700 and we will arrange this with you.

Speaker bio

Professional Training is a group of experienced specialists providing focused training in IT and Management skills. Our trainers use a combination of tailored, flexible approaches and real-life business knowledge to develop and provide techniques and solutions for immediate implementation by our course participants. We have delivered a range of CPD programmes with Chartered Accountants Ireland since 1997.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding this or any other CPD course or requirements, please feel free to contact the team here or call us at (+353) 01 523 3930