Find the useful part.
A spreadsheet can hold a lot of information. The answer you need usually takes a little less space.
Xcel Whisperer / Make sense of it.Big sheet.
Big sheet.
Small answer.
Somewhere in all those cells is the thing you actually need to know.
Let’s find it before someone schedules a meeting.
CARL / BEFORE THE BREAKTHROUGHHe just wanted to leave at five.
Less deciphering.More deciding.Home by five. Ideally.
The original commercialMeet Carl.
Meet Carl.
He had plans at five.
Endless rows. Flashing errors. One very reasonable desire to finish work.
A spreadsheet should not be the most demanding relationship in your life.
02 / THE ALIGNMENT MEETINGEveryone is looking. Nobody is seeing.Three smart people.
Three smart people.
One very long question.
You don’t need more people staring at the numbers. You need the numbers to make a point.
Give the conversation something useful to start with. Preferably before the coffee goes cold.
A little clarity for the whole room ↗Less deciphering.
More deciding.
Make it make sense.
Clear comparisons. Plain language. Something you can explain without sharing your entire screen.
Know what to ask next.
What changed? What drove it? What deserves a closer look? Start there.
A smaller answer. A better starting point.From “all this”
From “all this”
to “there it is.”
The numbers didn’t change.
Your afternoon just might.
Try the interactive example. Change three figures and get a chart, a comparison, and a plain-language takeaway.
Make sense of the sample ↗Q3_FINAL_final_v7.xlsx− □ ×
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | MONTH | REVENUE | ACTUAL | CHANGE |
| 02 | July | 42,000 | 42,000 | +5.0% |
| 03 | August | #REF! | 48,000 | +14.3% |
| 04 | September | 61,000 | 61,000 | #VALUE! |
THE PART THAT MATTERS
Revenue grew 45.2%
from July to September.
Illustrative dataClarity looks good on you.
The real end goalA closed laptop.
A closed laptop.
A beautiful thing.
Find the answer. Make the decision.
Have an evening.