In my 10 years of career as a data professional, I have realized the most underrated, overlooked, yet possibly the most important skill as a Data Analyst is the ability to tell an impactful story with data. The most accurate model or the most sophisticated analysis is meaningless if one can't convince its benefits to the stakeholders. In today's fast paced world with shortened attention span, the ability to tell a concise and convincing story is crucial. In this presentation, Subhasree Chatterjee
will talk about some structures and fundamentals of storytelling with data and delve deep into dos and don’ts of impactful storytelling. I’ll be talking from my experience as a Data professional, but I believe this skill is equally important for UX and Product.
3. 1. Introduce the
plot
2. Provide context
for audience
3. Answer why
should they pay
attention
Aha
moment!
1. Develop what
could be
2. Illustrate with
examples
1. Key
Takeaways
2. Call to action
Beginning Middle End
We’re
here
4. Why is it important?
63% of people
recalled a story from a
presentation, but only
5% recalled a statistic
12. 1. Introduce the
plot
2. Provide context
for audience
3. Answer why
should they
pay attention
Aha
moment!
1. Develop what
could be
2. Illustrate with
examples
1. Key
Takeaways
2. Call to action
Beginning Middle End
We’re
here
15. Be the Data Detective – Build your Case
The problem you’re
trying to solve
Your search for
evidence
Your most
important insights
Solution to the
problem
18. Be the Data Detective – Build your Case
The problem you’re
trying to solve
Your search for
evidence
Your most
important insight
Solution to the
problem
21. 1. Develop what
could be
2. Illustrate with
examples
1. Introduce the
plot
2. Provide context
for audience
3. Answer why
should they
pay attention
Aha
moment!
1. Key
Takeaways
2. Call to action
Beginning Middle End
22. • Main
recommendations
Beginning
• Back up with the
most impactful
insights
Middle • Potential impact of
the
recommendations
End
Act as the Advisor - Cut to the Chase!
23. •Keep it high level
•Boil it down to an
elevator pitch
•Three is the magic
number
•Emphasize on business
impact
•Format: Presentations
Senior Management
•Start with the big picture
and then zoom in
•Keep it simple and
specific
•Emphasize on product
impact
•Format: Interactive
dashboards
Direct Stakeholders
•Dive as deep as needed
•Technical details are
appreciated
•Share obstacles and
learnings
•Format: Six pagers
Peers from same group
•Don’t make assumptions
of prior knowledge
•Establish common ground
•Cater to different learning
styles
•Format: Presentations
Mixed Audience
Make your Narrative Personal
28. 1. Look for data that rejects your
hypotheses
2. Do the analysis right
3. Select the most impactful insights
1. Use visuals that reinforce,
not distract
2. Choose effective visuals
1. Act as the advisor
2. Make your narratives
personal
3. Emphasize the call for
action
29. 1. Introduce the
plot
2. Provide context
for audience
3. Answer why
should they
pay attention
Aha
moment!
1. Develop what
could be
2. Illustrate with
examples
1. Key
Takeaways
2. Call to action
Beginning Middle End
We’re
here
30.
31. 60 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003
The Earth has a Deadline,
let’s make it a Lifeline.
We must #ActInTime.
What is our window for
bold Climate Actions?
32. 1. Introduce the
plot
2. Provide context
for audience
3. Answer why
should they
pay attention
Aha
moment!
1. Develop what
could be
2. Illustrate with
examples
1. Key
Takeaways
2. Call to action
Beginning Middle End
We’re
here
33. Villains in our Stories
Lack of audience awareness
Overemphasis on data
Not making emotional
connection
34. Heroes of our Stories
Know your audience
Create your story combining data,
narrative, and visuals
Make an emotional connection
Most important yet underrated skill
Isn’t taught in school
Realized over my career
Main credential or why I became a passionate protagonist
Majority of people create 1 presentation per week
People want to know practical examples to apply in their roles
At 8mins
Let’s not overemphasize on data because there are 2 more elements
How many times you had a situation where the stakeholder reached out
“If you torture the data long enough, it will tell you anything!” -John W. Tukey
The correlation is a fact, but it doesn’t imply causation
New York covid example
Where I have seen people struggle the most
Very tempting to share every single information
MAKE THE VILLAIN APPEAR
This is where it gets really meta
It’s tempting to let the data lead the way
People feel more confident with concrete data in hand
But we’re emotional beings
The only text heavy slide, so let’s spend some time here
Presentations aren’t always needed, we overuse them
MAKE THE VILLAIN APPEAR
Goal of the story – inform/explain, persuade/convince, what do you want people to do differently
Remember that the purpose of visuals is to make a point, or add visual interest to your points as you voice over the slides
MAKE THE VILLAIN APPEAR
Only acceptable use of pie charts
At 18mins
“The first time I saw the Climate Clock, it woke something up inside me — and that’s after 30 years of being in this movement.”
—Jerome Ringo, Climate Clock Global Ambassador
Let’s go on this journey together to become better storytellers
At 23mins
Know your audience, speak their language, use data to guide your recommendations, make an emotional connection, and tell a story that inspires action
