01
Understand and check the data
A number question sheet, a data quality check and a data handling checklist show what a number counts and whether it can be used.
Camderson Academy · CA-TD-012
Read, question and communicate data accurately.
A practical, self-paced course for every role and team. Ask what a number counts, check the data, handle people's details with care, read averages and charts, judge surveys and causes, choose a few measures and tell an honest data story.
About 4 hours · 9 lessons · Beginner · Practical tools for every team · Self-paced · Tools you keep
Clear, friendly steps for every team.
02
Read numbers and charts well
A number comparison sheet, a chart reading checklist and an uncertainty check make averages, charts and surveys easier to read.
03
Decide and communicate
A cause questions sheet, a decision question sheet and a data story and plan turn data into decisions people can trust.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do
5 practical outcomes, each practiced in an exercise and checked in the final assessment or the capstone.
- Ask what a number counts and check whether the data behind it is good enough for your question.
- Handle data about people with care and share only what a question needs.
- Read averages, percentages and charts accurately and ask for clearer ones.
- Judge samples, surveys, uncertainty and cause without overclaiming.
- Turn questions into a few useful measures and tell a data story that is honest about its limits.
Your toolkit
Simple tools for every step
Number Question Sheet
Number · Counted · Period · Who · Owner
Ask five questions of a number and write its definition.
Data Quality Check
Question · Blanks · Duplicates · Format · Limits
Check a small data set before you analyze it.
Data Handling Checklist
List · Need · Share · Agree · Ask
Share only what a question needs and plan for the rest.
Number Comparison Sheet
Average · Extremes · Points · Base · Counts
Say which average and which percentage you mean.
Chart Reading Checklist
Title · Units · Axis · Shapes · Numbers
Ask five questions of any chart.
Uncertainty Check
Who · Room · Groups · Second source · Limits
Treat a survey result as an estimate with room for error.
Cause Questions Sheet
Pattern · Changes · Counts · Comparison · Claim
Separate a pattern from a cause.
Decision Question Sheet
Decision · Outcome · Process · Balance · Target
Start from a decision and choose a few measures.
Data Story and Plan
Point · Context · Chart · Test · Plan
Lead with one point and plan the next ninety days.
Ask. Check. Read. Share.
Curriculum
Inside the course
3 modules, 9 lessons with worked examples
01
Understand and Check the Data
Ask what a number counts, check the data and handle details about people with care.
02
Read Numbers and Charts Well
Read averages, percentages, charts and surveys accurately.
03
Decide and Communicate
Separate patterns from causes, choose measures and tell an honest data story.
What is included
Skills, tools and templates you keep and use in your work
- 9 lessons, each with a written lesson, worked examples and figures, at your own pace
- A short stand-alone example in every lesson, drawn from many kinds of workplaces
- A fillable Workbook with Try it and Reflect pages for every lesson
- Data Literacy Templates (Word) for every teaching tool
- A practice tracker with live formulas, a solutions version and a reusable template
- Quick Reference Cards and the Practice Examples
- An optional visual companion PDF with every lesson figure
- Knowledge checks for every module and a 20-question final assessment
- A capstone you can build for your own team or from practice scenarios, with a rubric you use to check your own work
- Access to the Camderson Academy community
- A Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion when you pass the final assessment and the capstone
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You read, build or present reports and want to be sure of what the numbers say
- You work on a team, lead one or run a business and want decisions based on numbers you can trust
- You want simple tools you can start using this week
It is not the right fit if
- You need legal, privacy or professional statistical advice
- You want advanced modeling or programming training
- You are looking for training on one particular reporting tool
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Taught by Camderson Advisory
A consulting firm for practical workplace skills
Your instructor is Camderson Advisory, a consulting firm that helps organizations build practical skills for the people who do the work. In this course, your instructor helps you read and share numbers with care, one friendly step at a time.
About
About Camderson Academy
Camderson Academy is the education division of Camderson Advisory Services. Camderson helps leaders build organizations that work without them in the room. Everything we teach has been used in a real organization first.
Training a team?
We offer group enrollment for teams and whole organizations that want everyone, in every role and department, to build the same skills. Email connect@camderson.com to talk through your group.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience or a previous course?
No. There is no prerequisite, and no statistics or technical background is needed. Everything is explained in plain words, and the tools work with any spreadsheet or reporting tool.
Who is this course for?
Team members, team leads, managers and owners in any kind of organization and any department. Each lesson has one short example from a workplace, and the skills fit shops, clinics, schools, nonprofits and service teams of every size.
How long do I have access?
Your access does not expire. We review the course on a regular cycle, and any updates are added for you at no extra cost.
How long does it take?
About 4 hours in total, including the written lessons, the Try it exercises, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the capstone. Everything is self-paced.
Questions about your purchase?
Email support through academy.camderson.com.
What tools do I need?
A spreadsheet program that opens .xlsx files (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice Calc), a word processor that opens .docx files and a PDF reader. All templates and practice files are included as downloads.
Do I have to use my own data for the capstone?
No. You can build your plan from the practice scenarios included in the course. If you use your own team, use sample numbers and leave out the names of real people and anything confidential.
Does the course recommend products or give professional advice?
No. It names no spreadsheet, reporting or analytics product as the one to use, and it is general education, not legal, privacy or professional statistical advice. It teaches practical skills in reading, questioning and communicating data and points you to qualified professionals and official rules. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any organization named in the sources.
What does the certificate confirm?
You receive a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion after passing the final assessment and completing the capstone. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course.
How was this course written and checked?
This course was written and edited by Camderson Advisory. Sources are listed with the date each was read. Where a source could not be opened on that date, the Sources page says so. This course teaches skills for everyday work. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice. Laws and rules vary by place and change over time, so talk with your own attorney or qualified professional about your situation. Last updated: November 2026. Next planned review: November 2027.
Read, question and communicate data accurately.
Self-paced, about 4 hours, with a Workbook, templates, Quick Reference Cards and a practice tracker.
This course earns a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course. This course is general education about how people on any team can read, question and communicate data accurately in everyday decisions. It is not legal, privacy, security, statistical or professional advice, it does not promise any particular result, and it does not replace a qualified professional or the official guidance named in each lesson. Rules about personal data, advertising claims and reporting differ by country, state and industry and change often, so check the current rules that apply to you. Examples, numbers and the organizations in the examples are fictional or illustrative. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any vendor, tool or author named in the sources and does not endorse any product.