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Telling Stories With Data

The document provides principles for telling stories with data in presentations. It recommends following a set-up, conflict, and resolution structure to give the story drama and pace. Questions are posed to determine trends, changes, and causes that could form the story's plot. The story should create surprise and suspense by revealing insights. Contextualizing data in relatable, everyday terms makes it more understandable for audiences. The story must connect data to the main point and humanize numbers by showing real-world effects on people through quotes or footage.

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Ahmad Ibrahim Makki Maruf
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112 views

Telling Stories With Data

The document provides principles for telling stories with data in presentations. It recommends following a set-up, conflict, and resolution structure to give the story drama and pace. Questions are posed to determine trends, changes, and causes that could form the story's plot. The story should create surprise and suspense by revealing insights. Contextualizing data in relatable, everyday terms makes it more understandable for audiences. The story must connect data to the main point and humanize numbers by showing real-world effects on people through quotes or footage.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Ibrahim Makki Maruf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TELLING STORIES WITH DATA

Follow these principles as you talk to your audience about data, so you’re telling a story, not just sharing some charts.

Think in terms of set-up, conflict, and resolution.


These three categories will help pace your story and give it a sense of
drama. To determine what story your data might tell, try answering
these questions: What trends or patterns do you see in the data? Does
the data change significantly at any point? What caused this change?
What trend do you observe after this change?

Create surprise and suspense.


Memorable stories contain secrets that excite listeners and keep them
guessing. As you tell a story about the data you're sharing in your talk,
consider revealing specific insights from your data to emphasize each
part of the story.

Put your data in a relatable context.


Even if you tell a great story, it won’t grab your audience if they don’t
understand the subject matter. Do some research ahead of time on
who will be in the audience, and tailor your story to suit their familiarity
with the subject matter. Consider using a simple metaphor to
contextualize particularly specialized information.

Connect your data to the point you want to make.


Don’t place the burden on your audience for discerning the meaning of
data you're sharing. Explain the meaning yourself; for example, "The
percentage of product defects has increased in the past three years."

Humanize your data.


Don’t get buried in the numbers and findings. Keep the heart of the
data — how it affects people in tangible ways — at the center of your
story. If it’s readily available, leverage qualitative data like quotes or
interview footage to ground your story in reality.

Source: Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations, by Scott Berinato. Harvard Business Review Press, 2016.

© 2021 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.

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