TELL YOUR STORY Turning Data into a Compelling Narrative

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Power of Stories

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Purpose of Stories

• Share knowledge & information.

• Explore ideas & challenge

accepted wisdom.

• Make sense of a complex world.

• Ask and answer questions.

• Create personal connections.

• Support shared values.

• Build collective understanding.

• Link the past, present, & future.

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Six Rules of Effective Storytelling

1. Tap into universal themes.

2. Identify the purpose of the

story.

3. Create a clear structure.

4. Appeal to deep emotions.

5. Offer something surprising

and unexpected.

6. Stay simple & focused.

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What Scientists See

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What the Audience Sees

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Data Without a Story

• Limits overall understanding.

• Lessens impact and

relevance.

• Creates information overload.

• Lacks structure.

• Dilutes value.

• Impairs memory retention.

• Hampers clear decision-

making.

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Data With a Story

• Provides a compelling

narrative driven by data.

• Creates scientific & emotional

connections.

• Explores & explains the

relevance of the data.

• Builds a framework that

improves mental processing.

• Turns metrics into actionable

concepts.

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Stories + Data = Impact

List adapted from twooctobers

1. Begin with a question. End

with an insight.

2. Take the audience on a

memorable journey.

3. Know the audience & connect

with their values.

4. Explain with visuals. Narrate

with words.

5. Provide context for data.

6. Be clear & concise.

7. Be honest & credible.

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Ask Questions to Get Started

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• What is the key message?

• What do I want the audience to

know or do with the data?

• How can I structure a narrative

using data?

• How can I visualize data to

communicate meaning?

• Is the data moving the story

forward or creating clutter?

• Will the data help drive decisions?

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Create Your Story Framework

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Story arc courtesy of TPC Blog – The Presentation Company

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What Is the Setting?

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Who Is Your Audience?

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What Are Their Values?

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What Are Their Stories?

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What Are Their Hopes & Concerns?

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What Do They Want to Know?

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What Can You Tell Them?

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How Will You Tell Them?

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Visualization to Support Data Insights

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• Infographics

• Dashboards

• Story maps

• Interactive data

presentations,

filters, &

analyses

• Bar graphs

• Trend charts

• Scatter plots

• Correlation

matrices

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Tell Your Stories, Share Your Data

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Questions?

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