Today, numbers and data are somewhat lacking in attention-grabbing ability. For information really to come across, data needs to turn into a story that educates, engrosses, and motivates action. Here is how you can turn data into great storytelling pieces.
ALSO READ: Leveraging Big Data for Smart Cities and Urban Planning
1. Figure Out What Your Story’s About
Before diving into the data, question yourself: what are you trying to achieve with this story? Are you persuading stakeholders, educating an audience, or instilling action? A clear goal will guide you through the choice of the right data within the narrative to be focused and influential.
2. Know Your Audience
Make your story click with your audience. If you’re talking to the executives, highlight high-level insights and how they might affect business. For the tech teams, geek out and break down the methods. Knowing what your audience cares about changes how you share information and how much detail you must include.
3. Building a Solid Foundation
A good data story has three main parts:
1. Context
Provide background information, setting the stage for your insights. Introduce the problem or opportunity that your data will address.
2. Conflict
Highlight key findings and data patterns that reveal challenges or opportunities. Here, you’re drawing the audience’s attention to the main takeaways.
3. Resolution
Provide concrete advice, recommendations, or learnings. Outline how this knowledge will eventually lead to some positive improvements.
4. Visualize for Clarity
Visuals make complex data more digestible. Use graphs, charts, and infographics to highlight trends, comparisons, and outliers. A well-designed visual not only supports your story but also makes it memorable. Avoid overloading visuals—simple, clear designs work best.
5. Add a Human Element
Data itself is abstract; it’s the anecdotes, quotes, or case studies that will anchor your findings. It’s in the human touch that you make your story resonate with your readers so they understand the personal impact behind the numbers.
6. Conclude with a Call to Action
Conclude your story by letting your audience know what they should do next. It may be taking up a new process, tweaking a strategy, or digging into more data—whatever it is, a clear call to action makes your insights useful. Mix data into a clear, visual, and audience-focused story—a well-crafted narrative that forges those raw numbers into tales that call to action and leave an impact.
