Reading List: Telling a Story With Data

We have written a lot about storytelling on this blog. People love stories because they understand them and can relate to them. Business audiences are no exception to this rule.

This week, we were enthused to stumble upon a piece by Google Analytics Advocate Daniel Waisberg stressing the importance of communicating data through storytelling. Tell a Meaningful Story With Data highlights the growing importance of good data visualisation and the need to bridge the gap “between the data and those who need to learn something from it.”

At Active Presence, we strongly believe that data only becomes information when it means something to the audience. That is, when it is relevant to them. As data continues to play a bigger part in the daily life of business, it is increasingly important to learn the right lessons and take the right action from your figures. This piece provides a good starting point, with lots of interesting external references to boot.

Estimated reading time:  6 minutes

Standout quote: “We know that data is powerful. But with a good story, it’s unforgettable.”

Reading List is a new kind of post for our Effective Business Communication blog. Each week, we’ll point to an article, video or graphic that has taken our interest. The posts that made us stop scrolling and listen. We’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.