A picture paints a thousand words. A table of data could save you (and your reader) hundreds of words.
But your table is a wasted opportunity if the reader doesn’t get your message from it. Or worse, skips over it.
Here’s a tip to make the tables in your documents have more impact. Give every table in your documents a headline.
Put some thought into choosing the headline. It is natural perhaps to use a factual title. Something like: year-to-date revenue analysis. A factual title is better than no title, but not much better.
Instead, give your table a title that tells the reader what they should be looking for in the table. Think of it more like a headline than a heading. So, instead of year-to-date revenue analysis you might use: revenue is up 10% over last year. By doing this you make it easier for the reader to interpret the table and you also reinforce the message you are (presumably) making in the text.