{"id":769,"date":"2022-10-16T12:48:04","date_gmt":"2022-10-16T12:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/?p=769"},"modified":"2022-12-02T11:16:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T11:16:36","slug":"tell-a-story-with-your-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/tell-a-story-with-your-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Tell a story with your data"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1310.4px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>I\u2019ve watched hundreds of people present their data.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Professionals presenting project outcomes<\/li>\n<li>Scientists sharing research data<\/li>\n<li>Businesses pitching for funding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Often I leave feeling confused.<\/p>\n<p>90% of the time, the numbers are simply thrown at me and I struggle to make sense of them.<\/p>\n<p>Each time we present data, we HAVE to be able to do it in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter how smart you are, or how great your results are. If you can\u2019t convey that to your audience, the message will be completely lost.<\/p>\n<p>We need to find the story in our data.<\/p>\n<p>If an insight or a finding isn\u2019t understood by the audience, the outcome is simple:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>No change will occur.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>If the audience can\u2019t make it sense of it, nobody will act on it.<\/p>\n<p>So to be able to get action from your data, you need to be able to communicate it effectively.<\/p>\n<p>This is where storytelling comes in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cData are just summaries of thousands of stories \u2014 tell a few of those stories to help make the data meaningful.\u201d ~ Dan Heath, bestselling author<\/p>\n<p>Data storytelling involves 3 elements:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Data \u2013 this core information to convey<\/li>\n<li>Visuals \u2013 this enlightens the audience to see things in the data they wouldn\u2019t otherwise see<\/li>\n<li>Narrative \u2013 this engages the audience to feel connected to and inspired by the data<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Each of these elements work together to explain, enlighten, and engage the audience. If any one is missing, then you lose the impact of your message.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-image-element \" style=\"--awb-margin-top:5px;--awb-margin-bottom:10px;--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" alt=\"Data Ready to Share\" src=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share.jpg\" class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-3210\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271080%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201080%201080%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271080%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share-800x800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-ready-to-share.jpg 1080w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/span><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;width:100%;max-width:15%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:#5db7b7;border-color:#5db7b7;border-top-width:3px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><h2>Do we skew the data by telling a story?<\/h2>\n<p><em>Surely if the number are good, they can stand alone? Why should we \u2018dress them up\u2019 with fancy visuals or compelling storytelling?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The answer is simple: great data presenting isn\u2019t about fudging numbers. Instead, it\u2019s about finding and meeting your audience where they are.<\/p>\n<p>This is the same as with any presentation \u2013 finding a great narrative is knowing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is in the audience?<\/li>\n<li>What do they know already?<\/li>\n<li>What do they care about?<\/li>\n<li>What decisions to they need to make?<\/li>\n<li>What are their goals to get there?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you have this understanding, you can pinpoint the data that matters.<\/p>\n<p>Everything in life needs context, and data presentation is no exception.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;width:100%;max-width:15%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:#5db7b7;border-color:#5db7b7;border-top-width:3px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\"><h2>6 steps to present your data in a meaningful way<\/h2>\n<p>Every time you present data, your outcome will be greater if you follow these simple steps.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Tell a story with your data.<\/h2>\n<p>Presenting data is exactly the same as any other type of presentation. You need to draw your audience in with storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>A simple way to find a story is to delve into these 3 things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Setup<\/li>\n<li>Conflict<\/li>\n<li>Resolution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Take time to find the story in your data before create your graphics.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Never use a single number.<\/h2>\n<p>The best presenters know that a single number makes no sense.<\/p>\n<p>A study by Professor Chip Heath (Made to Stick author) found that 63% of students could remember stories, but only 5% could remember a single statistic.<\/p>\n<p>Comparing data can provide more meaning than single numbers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c865 subscribers\u201d is a meaningless number on its own.<\/p>\n<p>But if you saw that for the last 5 years there were only 10 subscribers and this year there was 865, then things change. You start to wonder what the reason is behind the dramatic increase. And the story starts to appear.<\/p>\n<p>Comparison figures give context and help the audience understand.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Provide a focal point.<\/h2>\n<p>When we look at a complex charts our eyes dart all over the place while we desperately try to make sense of it.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, when we highlight a specific area of a graph we channel the audience\u2019s attention to the story.<\/p>\n<p>Adding arrows or simple annotations is a bulletproof way to do this.<\/p>\n<p>It tells the audience where to look and what\u2019s important.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Use contrast.<\/h2>\n<p>99% of the time when I look at a data slide, I have no idea what it\u2019s supposed to be telling me.<\/p>\n<p>Contrast helps draw the eye.<\/p>\n<p>You can use contrast in many ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Color \u2013 making one item a different color<\/li>\n<li>Size \u2013 making one item larger than the others<\/li>\n<li>Orientation \u2013 rotating one item<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The contrast makes it easier for the audience to make sense of data.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Maintain consistency.<\/h2>\n<p>Too often slides have charts that are completely inconsistent.<\/p>\n<p>Presenters cut and paste from a range of sources, then combine them all into one presentation.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, take time to create charts yourself and maintain consistency with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Color<\/li>\n<li>Font<\/li>\n<li>Size<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This makes it dead-simple for the audience to read and interpret.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be a design expert to do this. I use Canva because it\u2019s a really simple tool to use to do this well (and my <a href=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.gumroad.com\/l\/canva\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canva course<\/a> gives a run down of how to get started).\u200b<\/p>\n<h2>6. Choose the right type chart type.<\/h2>\n<p>The choice of chart is critical.<\/p>\n<p>Most people go straight for a pie chart because it\u2019s the simplest.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t do this.<\/p>\n<p>Consider what type of chart best represents the story you\u2019re telling.<\/p>\n<p>Think beyond the tables<\/p>\n<p>Data on its own isn\u2019t going to make change happen.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all about how we share that data in an engaging and meaningful way.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-image-element \" style=\"--awb-margin-top:10px;--awb-margin-bottom:25px;--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-2 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" alt=\"Data Presentation Framework\" src=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework.jpg\" class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-3209\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271080%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201080%201080%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271080%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework-800x800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/data-framework.jpg 1080w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/span><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:center;\"><p>I will end with this: \u201cThe goal is to provide inspiring information that moves people to action.\u201d \u2013 Guy Kawasaki, author &amp; venture capitalist<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:25px;width:100%;max-width:15%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:#5db7b7;border-color:#5db7b7;border-top-width:3px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve watched hundreds of people present their data.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7 Professionals presenting project outcomes<br \/>\n\u00b7 Scientists sharing research data<br \/>\n\u00b7 Businesses pitching for funding<\/p>\n<p>Often I leave feeling confused&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3509,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions\/3509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tessardavis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}