How to Make a Ranking Chart in Microsoft PowerPoint
By James T Wood
Whether you want to show the comparative bitterness of different beers, the cost of ethically sourced diamonds or the powers of super heroes, a ranking list can help. Because PowerPoint uses the Excel component of Microsoft Office to format the data for charts and graphs, the sorting feature in Excel will make ranking the items in your chart a snap. You can create and edit the spreadsheet data all from within PowerPoint and the information will save with the PowerPoint presentation so your rankings for NASCAR drivers can be emailed across the world.
Step 1
Open your PowerPoint presentation and click on the slide where you want to insert the ranking chart. Click the "Insert" tab and then click "Chart." Choose the "Clustered Bar Chart" from the "Bar Chart" section and then click "OK."
Step 2
Enter the data for your chart in the Excel spreadsheet that pops up. The standard chart has three series of data, but you can change the information to suit your own ranking chart. Enter more rows of data to show more entries; enter more columns of data to show more values by which things are ranked. Drag the blue border to include the data you want in your ranking chart.
Step 3
Click the top cell with data in the column you want to use as your ranking criteria. Click the "Sort and Filter" button in the "Editing" section on the right side of the "Home" tab. Choose "Smallest to Largest." The entries are now re-ordered by that sorting in the Excel spreadsheet and in the PowerPoint graph.
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Writer Bio
James T Wood is a teacher, blogger and author. Since 2009 he has published two books and numerous articles, both online and in print. His work experience has spanned the computer world, from sales and support to training and repair. He is also an accomplished public speaker and PowerPoint presenter.