Tip #8: You need characters in your story to resonate and motivate.

Written by Dr. Sally Perkins , Authenticx

Dorothy…The Scarecrow…The Lion…The Tin Man…R2D2…Black Panther… E.T. …Gandalf…Hermione…Forrest Gump…Creed…Shrek...Mulan...?

What is the common element of each of these characters? You can probably recount the stories about most of them, in part because these characters themselves are so vivid.?

“But it’s data,” you say, “there are no characters.”?

Maybe true, maybe not true.??

What we know is that people rarely connect emotionally with data (unless it’s data about living beings). And people rarely remember that to which they have no emotional connection. So, if you want your data to be memorable and motivating, you need to bring characters — humans — into the story.?

This might mean making the people whom the data represent more vivid to your audience. If your data are based on conversations or surveys of people, then those people need to be visible in your story.??

• What is their demographic profile???
• ?What is their geographic profile???
• What is the range of human experience they represent???
• What do they have in common???
• What do they have in common with your audience??

The more the audience connects emotionally with the people represented by the data, the more the data matter.?

If your data represent something other than people, say outdoor temperatures or product prices, then your story needs to help the audience connect to real people whom the data affect, whether that means people in the community, people in the business, people in a certain demographic, etc. The more vividly those people are illustrated, the more potent the data that show the impact of something (temperatures, prices) on the individuals with whom your audience can connect emotionally.??

In essence, vivid characters are necessary to connect the head and the heart in data-backed stories. What is the one character listed above you immediately connected with — one you saw yourself in or aspired to be (or not be)? Comment on how this character’s human traits connected to you.?

Learn how Authenticx uses literal patient voices to bring characters to life in their data-backed stories.?

Sally Perkins serves as Sr. Manager of?Storytellers at Authenticx. She analyzes quantitative and qualitative conversational data from which she crafts impactful data-backed stories that offer insights into how professionals across industries, such as healthcare, can improve the customer experience and their business outcomes.?

#DataBackedStorytelling #DataStorytelling #Storyteller #StorytellingTips #StorytellingTechniques #DataAnalysis #VoiceOfTheCustomer #NothingReplacesListening #Authenticx?