Creating Charts in Microsoft Word
To improve the appearance and quality of reports and presentations we can use different types of charts and diagrams. Word and also PowerPoint allow us to create graphics which allow us to show complex ideas simply.
Creating a chart
To open a chart in Word you need to open the Insert menu from the toolbar at the top of the window. Then you need to click on Object to open a selection box. You can also open Picture > Graph.
To improve the appearance and quality of reports and presentations we can use different types of charts and diagrams. Word and also PowerPoint allow us to create graphics which allow us to show complex ideas simply.
Creating a chart
To open a chart in Word you need to open the Insert menu from the toolbar at the top of the window. Then you need to click on Object to open a selection box. You can also open Picture > Graph.
When you have opened the selection box you need to click on Microsoft Graph 2000 Chart and click OK.
You will now see a simple column chart and the data sheet which links to it.
There are two things that you can do now.
a) Change the Chart Type
b) Use your own information in the Datasheet.
a) To change the chart type use the right mouse button to click on the white background inside the black outline. You can also use the chart
This can be difficult because if you right click on the chart or the legend a different selection box will appear. You need to click on the Chart Type option to open a new selection box. IMPORTANT: If you can’t open the box this way, go to Chart on the menu at the top of the page and click Chart Type there.
Try clicking on the different chart types (Bar, Line, Area etc) to see the different styles. To see exactly what a chart will look like click on the Chart sub-type you like and then click on the Press and Hold to View Sample to see what it will look like in your document. When you are completely happy with your choice click OK.
Important: When you choose your graph it is possible that your information will not be as clear as you would like it to be. Try different charts until your work is attractive and clear.
To change the colour or the pattern of the bars or segments by double clicking on the bar you want to change the colour of. A box will appear which you can choose a colour on. Just click the colour you want. If you want it to be clearer click on Fill Effects and choose Pattern or Texture. Pattern is best for printing in black and white.
b) To change the information in the Datasheet you can simply click in each box and change the information there. You can delete or add extra sections to the chart simply by changing information in the Datasheet.
Here you can see that the mouse has turned into a cross and the outside of the box is black. You can change the number just by deleting the old one and typing in a new one.
In this screen a new category (the light blue colour) has been created by double clicking on the number 4 box. An extra set of data can be added here.
Exercise
Open a new document and make a chart based on the following information. They are based on scores in a weekly vocabulary test. When you have made the chart in a way which shows the information clearly try to think of some conclusions from the information given.
