Beyond the Build: How Iron Viz Can Level Up Your Presentation Skills

Not a finalist? Doesn’t matter. You don’t have to win Iron Viz to win from Iron Viz.

One benefit of entering an Iron Viz qualifier contest is that clicking submit puts you in a small group of dataviz professionals worldwide. Anyone who has been to a Tableau Conference knows what Iron Viz is, yet only about 200 people complete a submission each year. (In the 2025 round, there were 191 submissions.) That rarity makes people interested in hearing about the process of entering Iron Viz. And if you’re open to speaking opportunities, you can get a lot of practice.

So far, I have had the opportunity to talk about my submission three times (and counting!). Each of these opportunities reinforced an important lesson: sharing your work publicly opens doors you don’t expect. And with each presentation, I refined both my message and my confidence.

Secrets of the Viz

First, I was featured on Louis Yu’s Secrets of the Viz series during his December Iron Viz showcase. Louis and I chatted for an hour and a half, and he heroically edited our conversation down to 20 minutes. (Louis’s series is a well-known YouTube feature where he spotlights interesting Iron Viz entries and Tableau projects.)

• Format: Casual conversation

• Prep time: ~30 mins, opening various links and tabs to show the process

• Runtime: 20 mins

• Audience: Tableau and dataviz enthusiasts, including those interested in Iron Viz strategy and design

Tableau Public User Group

Following this, I was invited to speak at the January meeting of the Tableau Public Tableau User Group. The Tableau Public TUG typically hosts authors who have received a Viz of the Day recognition to showcase their work, so I haven’t yet had an opportunity to present in that space. However, they made an exception for my Iron Viz entry on Chappell!

• Format: Semi-formal Presentation

• Prep time: ~4 hrs, including two live run-throughs, creating a slide deck, and rehearsing the presentation for my dog

• Runtime: ~35 mins (Minute 11 to Minute 46 of the recording)

• Audience: Tableau Public enthusiasts, typically hundreds of attendees

DataPRIDE Tableau User Group

I’ve presented at the DataPride TUG several times, including at their launch a few years ago. They put out a call for speakers who were either LGBTQIA+ and submitted an Iron Viz, or created a viz that aligned with the group's mission. I jumped at the opportunity.

• Format: Informal Presentation

• Prep time: ~20 mins, adapting slides from the Tableau Public TUG presentation

• Segment Runtime: 10 mins

• Audience: Members of the LGBTQIA+ dataviz community

Reflections

Talking about this viz has definitely stretched my comfort zone in presenting, and there has never been a better time to get better at it. Watching all three videos back to back, you can see me getting much more comfortable with my delivery and narrative flow.

Presenting about a finished viz is fun! Especially when you put a lot of effort into a personally relevant topic like this one, it’s rewarding to share the final product with peers.

If you’re heading to Tableau Conference this year, take a close look at Iron Viz—watching the finalists present is a masterclass in storytelling and design. And if the idea of competing has ever crossed your mind, start thinking about what kind of story you might want to tell. October will be here sooner than you think.