Turning Data Insights into Data Storytelling is not Rocket Science

Imagine starting your presentation meeting that involves a bunch of facts and figures with, 'I am going to tell you about an experience of exceptional customer service by one of our team members. The case offers insight into how we became the No.1 company in customer satisfaction in this region…, and you share the experiences, you move along in the presentation, you share more experiences and show statistics of the trend.’

We have all been in presentations where we zone out as fast as it starts. Listening to a presentation with a lot of data sounds like rocket science. Many do not enjoy data presentations, especially if they are not data analytics experts. Data creates insights that makes it easy to understand information. Yet, when not the insights are not communicated well enough, it can be confusing to the audience. Even when a lot of work has gone into collection, and processing data, it can be as worthless as a paper if it does not communicate essential information.

Data is like a rough diamond. It is raw! When polished and layered with storytelling, the audience can connect better. Let us explore ways to enhance data insights by infusing storytelling strategies that will engage your?audience.

Storytelling engages the emotion, making the message more memorable and impactful. Humans are wired to be triggered by shared experiences. Data insights presented in the form of narratives makes it easier to connect with your audience. Let’s pause and picture a moment when you were in a presentation, in school, at work, or at a business meeting. Remember how you were bombarded with numbers, charts, graphs, and data? You might have got lost as quickly as the presentation started. Now, picture that presentation starting with the story at the beginning of this article. Would you connect more with the information? Such is the power of storytelling!

Data storytelling involves using insights to build narratives easy to understand. A beautiful graph, chart, or slide is useless if it does not resonate with your audience.When data is layered with narratives, it creates a connection, making it easier to visualize your value proposition.?

Data storytelling helps you leverage the power of visualizations, breaking down complex information. It is like making rocket science sound like ABC. Infographics can simplify data that enables your audience to understand trends. Adding narratives to the data insights gives credibility to your message. When insights are presented as stories, highlighting individual cases, it builds trust. This evidence-based approach resonates with your audience. It conveys information and insights in a meaningful way, rather than boring graphs hard to understand. It is important to analyze the data to extract meaningful insights and present it in a visually engaging format. Consider the individual metrics, statistics, or case studies that show the value and benefits of your product or service. By infusing storytelling into these data points, you can make a stronger case.

Strategy for data storytelling?

A strategy used in our workshops to improve data storytelling is the Storyboard Backcasting Model. It is a template designed to systematically create the process of infusing narratives into your strategy by working backward to identify essential milestones in product or service design. The Storyboard Backcasting Model can be instrumental in helping individuals and companies achieve systematic planning of their storytelling strategies. The process creates a step-by-step process for building storyboards. Some steps to building your data storytelling strategy with the model include:

• Do a premortem of things that can go wrong. Act the scenario of what could go wrong?
• Build visuals one by one using a mind-mapping technique?
• Use keywords to highlight experiences.?
• Practice the slide transition. Plan from the beginning to the end.?
• Use storyboards and post it
• Do a postmortem after the presentation to get feedback.

The data analytics team should be trained to identify insights for storyboards. Storytelling workshops can provide the skills to identify milestones to develop data storytelling strategies.

Njiko Storytelling workshops offer the Storyboard Backcasting Model template for individuals and businesses to storyboards. By integrating data and visualizations into your storytelling, you can simplify complex information.

Data storytelling allows you to communicate the value of your product or service compellingly and memorably. Be specific about the insights you want to highlight and wet the appetite of the audience. Find the plot and create layers in the dataset. Define the setting. For example, if you are sharing slides, write down the narratives in the charts. Do not tell data stories when data is still being analyzed and have no insights to offer.

Data insights that incorporate storytelling are effective in engaging audiences and influencing their decisions. Develop a strategy to capture milestones and build compelling and memorable narratives. Want to learn more about the Storyboard Backcasting Model and how you can apply the process, send an email to [email protected].