This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at depictdatastudio.com.

Wondering what I’ve got planned this year?

Here’s what’s in store for 2023 related to:

Online Courses,
Private Training,
Conference Keynotes,
Data Visualization Consulting, and
My Personal and Professional Goals.

Online Courses

I have courses on 6 different topics.

Here’s the calendar:

Great Graphs in Excel, my Excel-specific dataviz course: Registration closes on Friday, March 3. The first live class is Tuesday, March 7.
Report Redesign, my deep dive on creating reports that people actually read: May 2023.
Dashboard Design, my deep dive on building static and interactive dashboards: September 2023.
Powerful Presentations, my public speaking and slide design course: November 2023.
Simple Spreadsheets, my data analysis course: March 2024.
Great Graphs, my software-agnostic dataviz course: May 2024.

Tuition

Registration is $997/participant for 2023.

No price increases for the third year in a row.

We also have group rates available.

Private Training

Want to bring me in to speak to your team?

Each year, I lead ~200 private sessions for foundations, nonprofits, universities, and government agencies who work on social good issues.

Here’s more info about my workshops, which can be held virtually or in-person.

Option 1: Private Training

What’s included:

8 Hours of Live, Custom Training for up to 25 People. The most popular scheduling option is two half-day sessions (eg., 12 – 4 pm, two afternoons in a row).
Review of Sample Materials. I’ll review 5 of your sample materials ahead of time (participants’ reports, slideshows, dashboards, infographics, etc.).
Customized Agenda. After I review your sample materials, I’ll customize the agenda to fit your team’s current skill level. For example, we might skip over beginner-level topics and move right into advanced techniques. Or, we might focus on maps, qualitative data, or before-after graphs. I have 6 full-length classes that we can pull topics from.
Zoom Set-Up and Hosting. I’ll handle the behind-the-scenes Zoom setup. You’ll simply send your staff a link to RSVP for the sessions. I’ll also host the Zoom trainings so you don’t have to worry about it.
Recordings. I’ll post the recordings to a password-protected site. Each participant will receive a username and password for the site. I’ll keep this site up for an entire year.
Slides. Each participant will receive the PDF’d slides from the sessions.
Handouts. Each participant will receive a handout with checklists of key points.
Ebooks. Each participant will receive a license for our 250-page ebook with even more examples and tips.
Excel How-To’s. Our templates and step-by-step instructions for making 25 advanced graphs.
Recommended Resources. You’ll get a resource list with our favorite books, websites, and tutorials for learning more.
Certificates of Completion. After the training, each participant will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Satisfaction Surveys. I’ll administer a satisfaction survey and share the feedback to help with future planning.
Email Recaps. I’ll also send emails before and after the sessions to keep the conversations going.
Data Vizards Community. Everyone will be invited to our students-only LinkedIn group, where you can network, post drafts, and get feedback from others.

Option 2: Private Training + Longer-Term Support

New for 2023!

By popular request, I’m adding an option for longer-term support.

What’s included:

Everything from the Private Training package.
Course access. All 25 staff will get lifetime access to one of my online courses, which goes broader and deeper than our training together.
Makeovers. We’ll create 3 quick makeovers of your work. For example, we’ll transform your report’s cover, revamp a text-heavy slide, etc.
Accessibility Audit. We’ll meet for 60 minutes over Zoom and review one of your publications, slideshows, dashboards, etc. for both “Big A Accessibility” (508 Compliance) and “little a accessibility” (making sure it’s easy to understand).
Style Guide Consultation. We’ll meet for 90 minutes over Zoom and review your existing branding materials, like style guides, brand colors, brand fonts, photographs, and/or icons. Then, we’ll set up chart templates to make sure staff know exactly how to format their charts, tables, and diagrams to meet your branding standards. We’ll also go through my Dataviz Style Guide Checklist to get ideas for how you might improve branding resources in the future, whether you’re branding for the first time, re-branding entirely, or just making some minor tweaks.
Office Hours. All 25 staff will be invited to weekly 60-minute Q&A sessions for an entire year. These are group “consulting lite” sessions where I’ll review your draft dashboards, reports, and slides.

Want to learn more about private training? Book a call.

Conference Keynotes

I’m looking forward to providing keynote speeches, pre-conference workshops, and breakout sessions at a variety of in-person and virtual conferences this year.

Want to learn more about conference keynotes? Book a call.

Data Visualization Consulting

Want me to create your report, slideshow, dashboard, or infographic?

Get in touch!

Please note: Availability is very limited.

If I can’t personally work on your project, I’ll refer you to a trusted colleague.

Personal Goals

I’m going to continue working the K12 school calendar. When my kids are home from school, the Depict Data Studio office is closed. (No courses or private trainings over spring break, summer break, Thanksgiving, winter holidays, etc.)

Last year, I got really into edible gardening. I planted papayas, oranges, avocados, mangos, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sour sops, guavas, pineapples, and an assortment of veggies. As an absolute beginner, I ran into a massive learning curve. I had tons of luck with fruit trees and berry bushes, but the veggies were tougher. (Super hot in Florida, so much rain, etc.) Hopefully I’ll get more veggies growing this year!

Professional Goals

I’m going to focus on blogging this year. Little to no YouTubing, podcasting, guest lectures in universities, free talks, etc. My time’s limited, and blogging is the most efficient one to many structure.

In past years, my goal was 24 blog posts (about 2 per month). I was also producing new videos, podcasts, etc. This year, I’ll try to publish 36 blog posts (about 3 per month). Since I’m taking off the entire summer again, this means I’ll need to blog every week during the work year to make up for zero blog posts over the summer. Whew! Can I do it??? TBD.

(I’ve posted some amazing tips on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn over the years… but they’re impossible to find later on. Those social media posts should’ve been blog posts.)

(I have a MASSIVE folder of blog post drafts. I suppose I’ll have to actually finish those. So maybe 36 blog posts is feasible??? TBD.)

I’ve considered really learning Tableau, R, and/or InDesign for years. I might attend the Tableau conference or take David Keyes’ R in 3 Months course, but… let’s be honest… I probably won’t. It’s much better for my career to focus on Excel than spread myself thin. In my experience, the niched, specialized consultants have the easiest time keeping their businesses booming. I need to find some advanced Excel courses to take. Recommendations?? It could be online or in Orlando. Let me know.

Speaking of Excel… a very, very, very aspirational project is to get Microsoft to improve their default settings so that they’re Accessible and accessible. I might write blog posts on the topic, post on their message boards, try to get in touch with the right people (who????), or maybe even join some sort of committee. This would practically put me out of a job. GOOD!!! I want to spend even more time with my kids.

I doubt I’ll take on any other projects this year. I don’t aspire to write a book in 2023. I won’t be starting a podcast in 2023. Etc. My private client trainings and my online courses keep my brain energized. I don’t have time or interest in starting other new projects this year. Life’s near-perfect already. Why change it?

Administrative & Logistical Tasks

I hesitated to mention these, since they’re so boring.

Are you interested in behind-the-scenes details??

If so, here’s what’s also on my radar:

Lean staffing. I let my virtual assistant go last year. She was excellent!! But I didn’t need administrative support anymore. I’ve automated the vast majority of tasks (thanks to software like Zapier, ConvertKit, etc.).
Accounting. In 2021, I upgraded from H&R Block to an accountant. In 2022, with my accountant’s support, I switched accounting software platforms. I also switched business structures (LLC to S corp). In 2023, we’ll investigate mega backdoor Roths, plus fine-tune some additional tax details.
Website. In 2012, I started a DIY blog. In 2017, I hired a company to design my website. In 2022, I re-hired them to update the website. In 2023, we’ll make a few more tweaks (e.g., describing what’s included in my courses and workshops a bit better).
Newsletters. I’ll continue sending newsletters ~weekly throughout the year; scrubbing the list; A/B testing the subject lines; and keeping the open rate and click-through rates high.
Digital resources. I’ll continue posting digital resources, like ebooks and chart templates, on Gumroad.
Social media. Like many others, I’ll be decreasing my Twitter time and increasing my time on LinkedIn and the Data Visualization Society’s Slack channel. I’ll continue making Instagram images, too (which are embedded here). I’ve learned a lot about sharing micro-content with Canva-made images over the past year, and there’s always more to learn.
Swag shop. In 2020, I started providing swag (shirts, mugs, stickers, etc.) to participants in my online courses. In 2022, I opened the shop to anyone and shared it on my YouTube channel. In 2023, I’ll likely add some new designs to the shop. I’ll donate 100% of the proceeds for Giving Tuesday again, too.

Your Turn

What are you focused on in 2023?

Are you hoping to learn a new software program? Achieve a personal goal?

Comment anytime and let me know!