How to Tell a Story With Data Download
how to tell a story with data download requires constructing a narrative that makes the data easily digestible and engaging for your audience. This can be challenging, but is especially important when communicating with audiences with varying levels of professional experience or domain expertise.
The first step is to decide who your audience will be and what their knowledge gaps are. This will determine what you choose to focus on and how you present the results of your research. For example, an engineering audience may want you to dive into the technical details more thoroughly than an executive or non-technical audience. This will also impact how you present the information and which visual aids to use.
Mastering the Art of Data Storytelling: A Comprehensive Guide
Generally, it is best to follow a linear narrative in your presentation. This will allow your audience to follow the flow of your argument and ensures that they do not get confused or distracted by tangential points. Moreover, it is also a good practice to only include data that is relevant to your broader narrative. This will prevent you from presenting misleading relationships such as spurious correlations.
Once you have a clear narrative and understand your audience, you can start building the visualizations to support your story. It is a good idea to use visuals that are easily recognizable and familiar to your audience. You should also minimize the amount of text that you include in your visuals. Studies show that people’s eyes focus on the title of a chart followed by subtitles and paragraph text.