storytelling with data_cole nussbaumer knaflic

chapter one: the importance of context

Exploratory vs. explanatory analysis

Exploratory analysis is what you do to understand the data and figure out what might be noteworthy or interesting to highlight to others. When we do exploratory analysis, it's like hunting for pearls in oysters. We might have to open 100 oysters(test 100 different hypotheses or look at the data in 100 different ways) to find perhaps two pearls.

Explanatory analysis meaning you have a specific thing you want to explain, a specific story you want to tell-probably about those two pearls.

So, we focus on explanatory analysis and communication.

Who, what, and how

First, To whom are you communicating?

Second, what do you want your audience to know or do?

Finnal, how can you use data to help make your point?

Who

Your Audience: The more specific you can be about who your audience is, the better position you will be in for successful communication. Avoid general audiences, such as “internal and external stakeholders” or “anyone who might be interested”

You: It's also helpful to think about the relationship that you have with your audience and how you expect that they will perceice you. These are important considerations when it comes to determining how to structure your comminication and whether and when to use data, and may impact the order and flow of the overall story you aim to tell.

What

Action: What do you need your audience to know or do? This is the point where you think through how to make what you communicate relevant for your audience and form a clear understanding of why they should care about what you say. You should always want your audience to know or do something.And know that even if you highlight or recommend the wrong thing, it prompts the right sort of conversation focused on action.

Mechanism: How will you communicate to your audience? The method you will use to communicate to your audience has implications on a number of factors, including the amount of control you will have over how the audience takes in the information and the level of detail that needs to be explicit. We have two communication mechanism, with live presentation and a written document or email.

Tone: What tone do you want your communication to set? Another important consideration is the tone you want your communication to convey to your audience. Are you celebrating a success? Trying to light a fire to drive action? Is the topic lighthearted or serious?