If you are creating a chart for a presentation, or are evaluating a presentation that uses a graph, consider the following points:

1. Is the graph telling a story and is the story one that needs telling?
2. Does that graph effectively communicate the story?
3. Is there another way to tell the story without using a graph that would be more effective?

Number 3 is the most critical consideration.  There are few situations where a graph is more effective that some other way of presenting the information.  If you don’t believe that, check out Made to Stick for ways you can present statistics in amazing ways.