When a "DS" leads to learning something new.

I am a firm believer in fate - especially when blessed with a "double sign" of confirmation (you will have to catch up with American Housewife, if you don't know what that means). So, when in one day, I am hit with the same message twice...I figured I should pay attention.

Lesson: It is time to amp up my storytelling cred. As a researcher, I pride myself on being a reasonable storyteller, not just a "reporter" of data. However, as our clients experience more robust storytelling across different disciplines (thank you TED) and throughout their organizations, their expectations for how they would like to digest research data will continue to shift as well.

Sign #1: "The Art of the Narrative Arc" captured my attention in the May edition of AMA Marketing News magazine. This led to a solid lead on a book by Ester Choy, founder of the Leadership Story Lab and author of "Let the Story do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success." Which thanks to Amazon is now sitting on my nightstand.

Sign #2: "The Biggest Sin Committed by Researchers When They Present to Clients" screamed read me that very same day in an Insights Association newsletter. In a recent Audible Insights podcast, Tas Tasgal shares how to structure your story around a "hero," a "villain" and their "conflict" to capture attention and engagement.

Net result: Time to enhance and refresh our style with a few new approaches to better engage data consumers with a new narrative that is more emotive, memorable and relevant.