Why stories are more powerful than data

Marketers today have access to unparalleled volumes of data. But now more than ever, the ability to translate data into compeling stories is the key to turning words and numbers into action and change.

Picture the scene. It's a hot summer afternoon. You've just eaten lunch, and you're attending a presentation where a colleague is flashing up chart after chart, data table after data table. You're trying to focus on what they're saying and what it all means, but all the numbers start to merge into one. You might as well be staring at a slide written in Sanskrit because you can't make sense of what it's trying to tell you.

We've all been there, right?

In the next meeting, the presenter has boiled everything down to a couple of headline stats. But it's unclear how they've arrived at these numbers or the exact context. Is a 2% engagement rate good, bad or average? Is the fact we only had a few click-throughs from under-35s something we should worry about? What should we do differently, and why?

Sometimes you can have too much data; at other times, not enough.

From data to insights to action

I've worked with data for my entire professional career. I love data. But I'll be the first to admit that data in and of itself is only a means to an end. If we don't interpret data to form meaningful insights, and if we don't turn those insights into action, then all you have are some pretty slides.

The image below pops up on my LinkedIn feed regularly. It's a beautifully visual way of telling the story of how:

1. We start of with a random pile of Lego bricks (data).
2. Sort and segment it to allow the human brain to process it (analysis).
3. Arrange it in a meaningful way (insights).
4. Turn that information into something we can interpret and communicate to non-expert audiences (data visualisation).
5. Place those insights in a memorable context that compels us to take action (story-telling).

Good data analysts and communicators often get as far as step four. The best ones instinctively know how to take that final step.

The power of stories

Compelling stories, mental imagery and the ability to connect an audience with something that means something to them emotionally as well as rationally are the bedrock of great communication. You can present 100 slides of insightful data to an audience: if you're lucky they'll remember three or four things. But if you tell one compelling story that wraps around the key point(s) you're trying to make, they will feel motivated to take action and, just as importantly, they will tell your story to other stakeholders.

I have a good head for retaining all sorts of data and information. That's great for pub quizzes, but people don't remember the random facts and statistics I share for very long. But they do remember the personal story I tell about how the first time I ever met my father-in-law was on the steps of the church on my wedding day.

3M customers don't remember when we tell them how many thousands of products we manufacture or how many patents our scientists have. But they do remember when we tell them stories of how we helped make Michael Johnson's gold running shoes. Or how you are never more than three metres away from a 3M product. (3m away from 3M, geddit?)

There's a reason we remember the bedtime stories our parents read to us decades ago, but not the details of the credit card we use every day. Stories evoke emotional responses, and that's what forms memories that live with us forever.

How can I become a better story-teller?

Story-telling in business isn't actually that different from the way stories are told in movies or books or even on the TV news. Okay, there are no thrilling chase scenes or sweeping moments of romance or drama that bring a tear to our eyes - at least, I hope not! But there is a clear, simple narrative thread, there are heroes and villians, triumph and adversity, a combination of reassuring predictability interspersed with moments of surprise or emotional extremes.

Great story-telling often isn't linear. It doesn't have to start at A and plod its way linearly to Z. How often have you watched a film or a TV show where the story starts at the peak of the action, and then takes you back to "X days earlier"? (The technical term for this type of story-telling is "in medias res", a Latin phrase that translates as "in the middle of things".) Similarly, you don't have to make presentations that tell your story in chronological order.

Story-telling is an art, for sure. Some people have a natural gift for it. I don't. But you can become a good story-teller by applying a degree of science and process. There are common techniques that all the great-storytellers use. Look at Shakespeare and Stephen King; look at compelling presenters like Steve Jobs; look even at how popcorn action movies work - they all use the same basic techniques. You can too.

So the next time you're preparing a presentation, think about how you can provide stories that will resonate with your audience emotionally. Talk about related situations we know from the world outside our company. Share personal anecdotes. It may be something as simple as providing a case study, or sharing a quote or some feedback from a colleague or leader. It doesn't have to be Romeo & Juliet. It just has to be relatable.

Also, and whisper it quietly, stories are fun - in a way that 20 slides of data tables aren't, even to a data geek like me. Data is great and we couldn't live without it in our modern business world, but turning data into stories that motivate us to take action are better.

And finally...

I started this article with a story, so let me finish with one too.

A leader at one of my previous companies was giving a talk to a forum of marketers. We'd just had a bad quarter financially and we were all worried about what he was going to say. He could have shown us the P&Ls and talked about how budgets might be cut, but he didn't. Instead he told us a story about how the local football team he supported had been relegated to a lower league the previous season. That had forced the owners to confront some harsh realities, but they had made bold changes and now they were challenging for promotion back to their former level. He talked about the importance of focussing on the things that would make the biggest difference - and about what he was going to do differently himself.

He could have shown us facts and numbers, but he told us a story. By the end of the meeting, everyone in that room would have run through brick walls for him. That's what a great story can do and, over 20 years later, I've never forgotten how I felt that day.

So, what story are you going to tell today?