Data Storytelling
We all remember those childhood stories from the fairy tales of; Rapunzel, Snow White or Jack and the beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood. Can you remember the announcement from your company leader in the townhall meeting last week or last month??
Did your leader use emotion or have a protagonist (hero) in their communication...perhaps not.?
There is no doubt from our own experience that stories last in our memory long after they were told to us. How do we make use of this insight to enable our business communication to engage our audience more and remain with them longer??
The answer...is to bring a storytelling approach from our early life experience it into the business world. It's not about sharing how you are the wolf or Goldilocks but generating emotion with your audience so the message resonates, and they feel the message rather than only hearing it.??
This is not new!?
It was used by Steve Jobs when launching the iPod in 2001 and TED talks are often presented in a story format. Taking you on that emotion journey. A story can be as short as 90 seconds on as long as a TED talk.?
Steve Jobs has been heralded as the world's greatest business storyteller. Click for a Forbes article.?
This is a link to an article about his storytelling abilities and that he learnt them: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/steve-jobs-lesson-storytelling-dave-byrne/?
How can you take advantage of this well-known and rarely utilised method of communication to become a better communicator, engage more with your audience and have your message still in their mind even after time has passed??
There are many frameworks and approaches out there for your story. I have listed a few links to these at the base of this article.?
For me simple is best. We have enough to remember when communicating so let's keep this as easy and simple to remember as possible.??
Before we get to those, I wanted to test out the writing abilities of GTP-3 powered search, conversation, text completion Artificial Intelligence (AI).?
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What is Storytelling - source: ChatGPT?
Storytelling is the act of narrating or telling a story, either orally or through written words. It is an ancient and universal art form that has been used for thousands of years to entertain, educate, and transmit cultural values and traditions.?
In oral storytelling, the story is told by a speaker who uses words, gestures, and expressions to convey the plot, characters, and themes of the story. This can be done in person, through a performance, or through the use of audio or video recordings.?
Written storytelling involves the use of words to create a narrative that is meant to be read by others. This can take the form of a novel, a short story, a play, a poem, or any other written work that tells a story.?
Storytelling is a powerful tool for communication and can be used in a variety of settings, including education, entertainment, marketing, and therapy. It can also be used as a way to preserve cultural traditions and pass on important lessons and values from one generation to the next.?
What is Data Storytelling - source: ChatGPT?
Data storytelling is the art of using data and data visualization to communicate a story or message. It involves taking raw data and turning it into a clear and compelling narrative that can be easily understood by a specific audience.?
Data storytelling can be used to present information in a way that is engaging, informative, and persuasive. It can be used to tell the story of a business, a product, a service, or any other topic that can be represented with data.?
Effective data storytelling requires a combination of strong analytical skills, an understanding of design and visualization principles, and the ability to craft a compelling narrative. It can be used in a variety of contexts, including business, journalism, education, and more?
After that impressive work by AI, let's get back to an approach for storytelling. This is the Data Storytelling formula from Gartner. It works, though, let's add a little more of a structure to it.?
A data story is never just authentic data, it's about bringing the context - what’s the explanation for what we are seeing in the data and why is it happening.??
What Is a Narrative Structure??
The term narrative structure refers to the framework that a writer uses to tell their story. A story’s narrative structure is a combination of plot and story elements, such as characters, settings, and events. The main purpose of narrative structure is to help readers understand what is happening, and to keep them engaged, page after page.?
www.twinkl.com/teaching-wiki/narrative-structure?
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And your story needs a point – Why are you telling it??
Perhaps the most important thing to know about business storytelling is to know the point of your story before you tell it.?
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You might have some great analysis or experience from a previous situation you would like to share. However, you need to decide that you wish the receiver of the story is to go away with.?
Your Story Format?
Place – Character – Events – Point (P-C-E-P)?
Place & Time - I was on holiday in Malta last week; At work today; Recently; A few years back; A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....?
Character - Individual/hero or group of people who are centre to your story, what happened to them; What were the obstacles they needed to overcome; How are they feeling??
Events - What happened; What were the obstacles; How did this make the character feel? Are there any scents you can add, like the smell of coffee floating down the corridor from the bustling meeting room; What needs to happen next??
Point – What is your point from telling the story, for example: always take plenty of time to ensure the business is onboard with the new direction, the plan of activities and the change required to adopt the new ways of working otherwise ….?
Thinking Tech Solutions For Storytelling?
Well, tech won't create a full story, though GPT can create stories, just depends on if it’s the one with your point included. However, creating narrative in dashboards really helps users become more data literate and make the best decisions based in the insight they have been provided with the narrative to aid understanding.?
It’s worth exploring Tableau’s feature called Data Stories, leveraging natural language and artificial intelligence to automate data analysis and communicate insight using easy-to-understand story formats. With automated plain-language explanations in your dashboards, users can understand and interact with data more quickly and easily.?
In Summary?
You don’t have to be a professional designer to tell a great data story. So long as you pay attention to what matters most, you can lean on your existing strengths (whether they’re analytical, communicative, creative, and/or relational) to create data stories that will help your audience know better and do better, then consider your story structure to get our point across.?
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For more insights, frameworks and guidance: https://lizhendersondata.wordpress.com/
Resources & References:?
https://www.anecdote.com/2021/07/why-would-you-share-your-point-before-telling-your-story/?
Archive of stories:?
Contains a downloadable free guide ‘Stories Matter: How To Use Them In Business ‘:?
Image credit:?
Advisory Lead, Insights and Data at Capgemini UK
2 年Great article Liz Henderson The most popular #tedtalk is by Sir Ken Robinson, it remains so because of emotion and authenticity and it is peppered with facts. He is for me one of the great storytellers…