workingwithdata_ebook_april21_awc2op 4
TREATING DATA AS A PRODUCTHow do I tell a good (data) story?Creating a good data story relies on three key aspects:1 Know your audience2 Build a compelling narrative3 Make use of clear visualsAs with any presentation, knowing your audience is the best way tocommunicate effectively. If you’re telling your story to a board of directors itwill look totally different from telling it to a team of customer service reps,even if both stories rely on the same data set. So before you dive into creatingyour narrative, it’s vital you empathize with the audience whom you’representing to.53
TREATING DATA AS A PRODUCTAsk yourself who they are, what knowledge they already have about thesubject and why would they be interested in what you’re about to tell them.Emotions are strong drivers in humans – you want to ask yourself whichemotions you want to play on. Are the numbers you’re showing something tobe celebrated, or are you spinning a cautionary tale?With that in mind, also consider the context in which you’re telling your story.Going back to the earlier example about conversion, just highlighting anumber or metric won’t really tell anyone anything.Think about what background information your audience needs toappreciate what you are telling them. Any good storyteller knows that JRRTolkien’s The Hobbit is a very entertaining story, but everything that happensbecomes much more powerful if you have any notion of the plot in the Lordof the Rings. Obviously the suggestion is not to write an extensive trilogy, butdo remember to properly set the scene. The right context will set youraudience up for success.Once you know your audience and you have a good understanding of theirneeds you can focus on building a robust narrative. Like any good story therewill be a beginning, middle and end. In the beginning you want to set thescene and make sure the audience has the right context. Give them theinformation they need to understand the meat of the story.54
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TREATING DATA AS A PRODUCT
Ask yourself who they are, what knowledge they already have about the
subject and why would they be interested in what you’re about to tell them.
Emotions are strong drivers in humans – you want to ask yourself which
emotions you want to play on. Are the numbers you’re showing something to
be celebrated, or are you spinning a cautionary tale?
With that in mind, also consider the context in which you’re telling your story.
Going back to the earlier example about conversion, just highlighting a
number or metric won’t really tell anyone anything.
Think about what background information your audience needs to
appreciate what you are telling them. Any good storyteller knows that JRR
Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a very entertaining story, but everything that happens
becomes much more powerful if you have any notion of the plot in the Lord
of the Rings. Obviously the suggestion is not to write an extensive trilogy, but
do remember to properly set the scene. The right context will set your
audience up for success.
Once you know your audience and you have a good understanding of their
needs you can focus on building a robust narrative. Like any good story there
will be a beginning, middle and end. In the beginning you want to set the
scene and make sure the audience has the right context. Give them the
information they need to understand the meat of the story.
54
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