Make an infographic that shows the denominator
Eighteen out of twenty-four is 75%. On a slide, it quickly becomes "75% of teams are compliant". An infographic should make the source easier to understand, not bigger than it is.
Example output
A graphic that keeps the sample visible
18 of 24 sampled requests had every required field: 75% of this sample, not the whole organisation.
75% contained the required fields
6 did not · sample reviewed 9 October 2026What you'll make
a simple graphic with an honest headline, every number traceable to the source, the sample size on show and a one-line text version for anyone who can’t see the chart.
What you'll need
the source figures and their definitions, the question your audience is asking, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini in your work account, and about 20 minutes.
1. Write the finding in words before any graphic
Ask for the conclusion and its limits first. A percentage without its population can make a claim the source never made.
Using only these source figures, answer [reader question] in two
sentences: the finding, then its limits. Include the count, the total
it is out of, the date or period and who or what was sampled. Do not
add causes, comparisons or conclusions about anything outside the
sample. Then propose one simple chart and say which number each part
of it shows.[reader question] is what your audience wants to know, such as “how complete are new-supplier requests?”
Why this works: if the sentence can’t say it, the graphic shouldn’t. Writing it first gives you something to check the chart against.
What you should see: a two-sentence finding with a count, a total and a scope, and a chart suggestion such as a 24-dot grid or a single bar.
2. Build the chart as something you can edit
Numbers in a graphic need to be real text, not pixels, so you can correct them. Ask ChatGPT or Claude for an SVG or a PowerPoint chart, or build it yourself in Excel or Google Sheets from the figures. In Claude, file creation needs Settings › Capabilities › Code execution and file creation turned on. Avoid image generators for anything with figures: you’d be checking spelling and arithmetic in a picture you can’t edit.
Make this chart as an editable SVG (or a .pptx slide): [chart choice].
Headline: the finding sentence above, unchanged. Show the count and
the total, and put the sample scope directly under the headline, not
in a footnote. Keep every number and label as editable text.[chart choice] is the chart from step 1.
Why this works: an editable chart turns a wrong number into a two-second fix rather than a new image.
What you should see: a chart you can open and change, with the headline, the count and the scope all readable at slide size.
3. Add the one-line text version
Write a sentence that says what the chart shows, for alt text or the speaker notes. It should match the headline, not improve on it. A complex image needs a text explanation nearby, so anyone who can’t see it gets the same facts.
Why this works: the text version is a second check. If it reads as a bigger claim than the source, so does the chart.
What you should see: one sentence with the same count, total and scope as the headline.
Check the result
- The headline names the sample (“18 of 24 sampled requests”), not a bigger group (“teams”, “the company”).
- Every number on the chart appears in the source or is a calculation you can repeat.
- Colours don’t imply a good/bad judgement the source doesn’t make.
- The text version says no more than the headline.
The usual failure: the sample becomes the whole. The draft headline drops the denominator and swaps the sampled items for a larger group, because “75% of teams are compliant” sounds more like a headline. Spot it by asking “75% of what?” and checking the answer is in the source.
The headline says [claim], but the source only shows [what it shows].
Rewrite the headline and any labels to match the source, with the
count, the total and the sample scope. Keep the chart design and the
exact values. Do not add a new claim to make it sound conclusive.[claim] is the overreaching headline; [what it shows] is the source fact, with its numbers.
Worked example: a sample of supplier requests
Fictional example. Marta reviewed new-supplier requests for a monthly operations update.
Reviewed on 9 October: 24 new-supplier requests (a sample, not all requests).
Contained every required field: 18
Missing at least one field: 6The first draft graphic, a 24-dot grid, carried the headline: “75% of teams are compliant.”
- The failure. The source sampled requests, not teams, and says nothing about compliance across the company. The 24 has vanished, so nobody can tell it’s a sample of two dozen.
- The repair. The repair prompt, with that headline and “18 of 24 sampled requests had every required field”, gave: “18 of 24 sampled requests (75%) had every required field. Sample reviewed 9 October.” The dot grid stayed the same; only the words changed.
- The text version. “A grid of 24 dots, 18 filled: 18 of the 24 new-supplier requests sampled on 9 October had every required field.” It doesn’t say why six were incomplete, because the source doesn’t either.
Task kit for this job: Download (ZIP) · Reusable instructions
Go deeper
Show the count, then the share
“18 of 24” is easier to picture than “75%”, and it carries its own denominator. If you show a percentage, put the count beside it. If you switch between count and share views, check both come from the same population and neither quietly drops the missing records.
Keep the scope out of the footnote
If the scope changes what the headline means, it belongs next to the headline, at the same reading size. Small print at the bottom of a slide is where qualifications go to be ignored. See chart labels.
Explain an existing chart without adding to it
When you’re given a chart rather than making one, the same rule applies in reverse: describe what it shows and stop. Explain a chart without inventing covers that job.