storytelling with data

What's the right balance of words to use when communicating data? Finding the ideal ratio is a bit of a Goldilocks challenge: 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 Too much text slows down our audience’s comprehension and makes the overall message less memorable. 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 (𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮) The key points of the communication may be lost or misinterpreted because the audience is forced to make their own assumptions. Data storyteller, Mike Cisneros, shares his thoughts on this topic in the latest article: https://lnkd.in/e3qAyNJk

Make the newest addition to our *storytelling with data* family, #DaphneDrawsData, yours today!

In most cases, you probably sort bar charts by taking the largest value and sticking that in the prime spot (the leftmost slot in a column chart or the top bar in a horizontal bar chart.) Then, the rest of the bars follow in descending order. You could also just as easily sort in ascending order, with the smallest value in the prime spot. When you 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. When that isn’t the case, you can unintentionally confuse an audience by sorting your charts in a way that feels unnatural. When deciding how to organize your #dataviz, always consider your underlying data and the message you are trying to communicate.

TOMORROW IN SEATTLE!

Handling situations where 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 can be tricky. Ideally, the presenter should manage both the speaking and the slides, much like driving a car—one person should control both the speed and direction. But when you can't steer both, here are 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 from our very own data storyteller Alex to keep things running smoothly: 𝟭. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗲𝘀: If the person advancing your slides can see your speaker notes, treat them like a roadmap. Include concise phrases and cues to guide when to transition to the next slide or trigger animations. This helps maintain flow without constant verbal cues. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀: Strong slide titles that summarize the key point help your slide operator anticipate the next move, allowing for smoother transitions. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗶𝘅 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: Instead of repeatedly saying "next," try alternatives like "let's move on to..." or "now shifting to..." to keep things fresh and avoid distractions. 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝘂𝗲𝘀: A change in your tone, pace, or volume can signal to the person controlling the slides that it's time to transition. These subtle hints keep the flow intact. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿: This is key. Rehearse with the person managing your slides to build confidence and ensure a polished delivery. If you follow these strategies, even when someone else is at the wheel, your presentation can still feel seamless.

Congrats to Cole on her new book! Join her in Seattle in the coming week at events for children AND grown ups...

Text can be data too...but too much text can be overwhelming. How many times have we all been in meetings where we're presented with slide after slide of bulleted lists? Even if there's a related image added to the screen to make the slide "interesting," it's still far from the most engaging way to present information. Our colleague Alex helped a client address this challenge recently, and you can see the difference clearly below With a formerly text-dense slide revised to have a clear and scannable visual hierarchy, the audience can now process the key information quickly and stay focused on the presenter's most important points.

Join us in celebrating the release of Cole's new book!

Looking to captivate audiences with compelling data stories? Elevate your data storytelling prowess in our 8-week online course - plan, create, and deliver your data story. Unleash your creative potential and cultivate narratives that inspire. We’ll take you through the world of *storytelling with data*, curating a multi-media learning journey anchored in core SWD lessons that are expanded upon and explored through weekly lectures, reading, videos, podcasts, exercises, and a course project.

LIMITED SPACES REMAIN! Our final in-person masterclass of the year is in Seattle next Thursday (September 12), and it's going to be an amazing day of inspiring learning and collaboration with Cole and the entire storytelling with data team. Join us in Seattle! https://lnkd.in/gBXRjj_X