We’ve all heard—or maybe even said—the phrase before, “I’m not a numbers person.” What does this mean? What are the origins of this unfortunate and limiting mindset? I believe it starts young. My latest book, Daphne Draws Data was published earlier this month. I’ve been on the publicity circuit, talking with various people about the book for podcasts, live events, and the like. One line of questions that has come up repeatedly is around when children’s aversion to math begins, and what causes it. I don’t know the answer. I suspect that it is the way that math is typically portrayed in our cult ..read more

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is an oft-invoked metaphor for the situation in which, among a range of options, the target is a zone between “too much” and “too little” of something. Finding the ideal ratio of words-to-data in our communications meets the criteria for this classic reference. Include too many words, and we risk slowing down our audience’s comprehension and making the overall message less memorable. Include too few words, and the key points of the communication may be lost or misinterpreted.  There’s another way in which Goldilocks and the Three Bears applies to the i ..read more

This month, we invite you to explore the power of a stacked graph. Your mission is to find a scenario where a stacked graph shines as a visualization that makes the point of your communication unmistakable. Both stacked bar charts and area graphs (which are essentially stacked line graphs) can represent data in either absolute values or percentages. Each of these graph types has its strengths and challenges, demanding thoughtful design to convey your insights effectively. Stacked charts can be powerful visuals in a variety of scenarios, like showing opportunity or highlighting a change in rel ..read more

As you know, we're big advocates of practicing to develop data storytelling skills—we've written an entire book on this topic! Reading a book, however, isn’t the same as mastering a skill. It takes time and dedication to grow. If you're seeking a structured, hands-on learning experience with accountability and the chance to connect with fellow data professionals and enthusiasts, our 8-week online session is perfect for you. Starting on September 23, 2024, this intensive program offers a deep dive into data storytelling through weekly lectures and a variety of resources, including books, b ..read more

Can you recall your favorite children's book? Take a moment to bring it to the front of your mind. Now imagine you have to tell someone else about the story in the book. What would you describe? You would likely start with the plot and the characters, then explain some of the action or conflicts that happened between them. At some point, you would describe how that tension was resolved and then share the ending of the story. These key points in your retelling are the critical components of stories—plot, twist, and ending. This basic story structure has a natural connectedness. One thing leads ..read more

    I’ve been talking a lot lately about the newest addition to the storytelling with data family—a delightful dragon named Daphne, who aims to bring the magic of numbers and graphs to a young audience. She is the heroine of my new children’s book, Daphne Draws Data. Yesterday, I had great fun reading the entire book aloud in a live session that was broadcast around the world. You can watch the recording below (view it now to see the entire book, we’ll soon trim the video per my publisher’s guidance as publication day nears). I also answered viewer questions and shared insight into ..read more

Regular readers of the storytelling with data blog may be familiar with the “where are your eyes drawn?” test. It requires you to: take a look at your graph, slide or content; look away;  and then look back and see which element of the content your eyes first land upon.  The goal of this test is to ensure that the eyes of the people in your audience are initially drawn to the same focal point. We commonly suggest achieving this with the sparing and intentional use of qualities like size, color, and position on a page. Recently, however, one of our clients shared a visual that ..read more

Have you ever agonized over how much detail you should include in a chart, a slide, or a presentation? This was a constant struggle for me in my own analytic career. I didn’t want my deliverables to look cluttered and busy, because that felt unprofessional and off-putting. At the same time, I didn’t want my audiences—who were usually the leadership team at either my company or my client organization—to think I hadn’t performed a thorough analysis. I worried that a sparse or simplistic-looking presentation would give the impression that I hadn’t done my due diligence. Eventually, I came to unde ..read more

Recently, a workshop attendee asked for tips on how to handle a situation in which someone else is advancing your slides.  I strongly believe the presenter is the best person to speak and manage the slides. Giving up control is like having one person steer a car while someone else works the pedals. In the same way that the person who sees what is in front of the car should control the car's speed, the person who has prepared the slides and practiced the delivery is the ideal person to direct the show. But let's say, for some reason, control must be passed to someone else. Repeating and in ..read more

    In our work teaching people how to communicate effectively with data, we often find ourselves making a distinction between the exploration of data and the explanation of data. We do this both to draw attention to and make sure people clearly recognize the difference. These two phases require a totally different mindset and toolset. In one case, you are asking questions; whereas in the other, you are likely providing or directing people toward answers. They require different methods, perhaps different tools, and distinct visualizations. On the topic of visuals, those made for the ..read more