Funnel charts are a great way to visualize how sequential data can be broken up into different stages. Unfortunately, the “Funnel” SmartArt graphic included with PowerPoint (Insert → SmartArt → Hierarchy) doesn’t reflect the hierarchical nature of the stages and supports only three inputs. That’s why I decided to write this post to demonstrate how easy it is to make a funnel diagram from basic PowerPoint shapes; just follow the steps below.
Add rectangle shapes (Insert → Shapes → Rectangle) that represent the stages of the funnel, like depicted below.
Add a trapezoid shape (Insert → Shapes → Trapezoid); then rotate the shape by 180 degrees (hold Shift key while rotating), and resize it to match the height of the stage shapes.
Delete the first/third/fifth/etc. stage shapes.
Select the first remaining stage shape and the trapezoid (in this order), then click on Format → Merge Shapes → Fragment.
Repeat this step for the other stage shapes.
Delete the shapes not needed for the funnel.
Format the funnel shapes just as you like.
You can download the resulting funnel chart from this link. The .pptx file also includes some more funnel variations with different numbers of stages.
ShapeChef is a tool that helps you find and manage graphics and charts for your presentations. Click here for details.
