Tension is a key component of story—and can be used in powerful ways to communicate in a business setting. In this episode, Cole talks tension: what it is, why you should care, and how to identify and use it in your data stories and beyond. Tune in also to hear common questions related to communicating with tension and their answers, plus related resources that will improve your next graph or presentation. Listening time 35:00 |  related links: Article: a quick presentation makeover Article: the structure(s) of story Article: when tension is high, get to the point Book: storytelling with you Book: let’s practice! Exercise: build the tension Resource: big idea worksheet Video channel: SWD YouTube Video series: storytelling with cole Video: dashboard to data story makeover Video: record yourself Video: create a storyboard Video: focus attention in data viz Video: avoid these 5 slide mistakes Video: the final presentation Video: don’t keep me in suspense (open to premium) Workshops: 2023 calendar (use special code PODCAST10) University: instructor resources

SWD storytellers Simon and Mike offer their thoughts on how the recent advancements in AI tools may transform the way we analyze and communicate with data. They also discuss some of their favorite entries and interesting themes from the most recent SWD challenge on the quantified self.   related links:   Website: SWD challenge A year of fitness by Evelina Judeikyte Number of steps in 2022 by Iris van Bussel Reads 2022 by Kirti Vardhan Rathore My 10 Years of Book Reading by Sibi Maran Cook more, eat less meat: Is my good resolution for 2023 being kept? by Line Ton That Water Usage by Rob Reid Personal Carbon Footprint by George-Alexandru Gavrilovici Meditation Tracking + Blue Sky Goals by Sarah Stern A Year of Disc Golf by Bryan Boyle By the time you finish reading this sentence… by Zen Faulkes Lizzy’s Goodreads by Shane Reynolds Order storytelling with you Get sample content from Cole’s new book  

Have a listen to this cross-cast of Cole’s conversation with Brendan McGurgan, host of the ScaleX Insider Podcast and author of Simple Scaling: Ten Proven Principles to 10x Your Business. They discuss scaling organizations and dive deep into the topics of audience, the big idea, storyboarding, using tension to engage your audience, plus tips for improving how you present through practice. related links: Follow Brendan: LinkedIn | Website | Youtube Book: Simple Scaling: Ten Proven Principles to 10x Your Business Podcast: ScaleX Insider Podcast Order storytelling with you Get sample content from Cole’s new book

Why don’t we use triangles in charts more often? Can design considerations come before we have the data? Do we take data visualization too seriously? Author, speaker, and data literacy advocate Neil Richards raises (and occasionally answers) these and other questions in his new book, Questions in Dataviz: a Data-Driven Process for Data Visualization. In this episode, Neil stops by the podcast to talk about the value of creativity, personal passion projects, experimentation in data visualization, and whether dataviz can change the world.  related links: Follow Neil: Twitter | Website | Tableau Public (portfolio) Book: Questions in Dataviz Podcast: Alli Torban’s Dataviz Today  Project: Makeover Monday SWD challenge: https://community.storytellingwithdata.com/challenges Project: Viz for Social Good Project: Andy Kirk’s The Seinfeld Chronicles  Viz: US county hexmap Viz: Pet ownership in the UK Project: Data Visualization Society Project: Information is Beautiful Awards Get sample content & order storytelling with you: storytellingwithyou.com University instructor resources: storytelling with data.com/university SWD YouTube channel: storytellingwithdata.com/youtube

Cole shares a number of data visualization and communication questions that could be answered simply with the word, “Don’t!” From breaking axes and presenting boxplots to unfamiliar audiences, to providing unsolicited feedback to a colleague, and more—you’ll learn why generally not to take these actions, plus hear ideas on what you might do instead. related links: Video: the ins & outs of boxplots Video: transform the teleprompter slide Blog post: how many words should I put on my slide? Blog post: unsolicited feedback Get sample content & order storytelling with you: storytellingwithyou.com Nov 17 virtual workshop: storytellingwithdata.com/workshops (use discount code: PODCAST10) University instructor resources: storytelling with data.com/university SWD YouTube channel: storytellingwithdata.com/youtube

Cole sits down with husband, Randy Knaflic, for a fun chat about her new book, storytelling with you: plan, create, and deliver a stellar presentation. They discuss why building capability and confidence presenting is especially important for those in technical roles, overcoming challenges communicating to mixed audiences, navigating the writing process, and more. Tune in to learn what jazz improvisation has in common with presenting and gain appreciation for the art of the introduction—including specific steps you can take to craft the story of you. related links: Attend an upcoming storytelling with data workshop in London or virtually Order storytelling with you Get sample content from Cole’s new book

As anyone who has ever participated in a fantasy league can tell you, the most fun part of the whole experience is drafting your team. We took that idea to heart, and imagined, “What if, instead of drafting professional athletes, we did a fantasy draft of chart and graph types?” The data storytellers at SWD and premium members of our online community recently did just that, taking part in a (mostly!) friendly competition to build themselves the strongest possible roster of methods for visualizing information. What chart type was chosen first overall? Did anybody pick pie charts? And, who do YOU think wound up with the best team? Listen to find out! related links: Book: Preview and pre-order the new book, storytelling with you  Workshop: Register for an upcoming SWD workshop  Interactive: The Gyllenhaal Experiment at pudding.cool Chart Guides and additional info: area graph | bar chart | bullet graph | bump chart | choropleth map | dot plot | heatmap | histogram | isotype chart | line graph | lollipop chart | pie chart | Sankey diagram | scatterplot | slopegraph | stacked bar chart | waffle (or square area) chart | waterfall  

How can we use beauty to convey meaning, and form to guide function, in our communications? In this episode of the SWD podcast, Dr. Vidya Setlur and Bridget Cogley explore these questions with data storyteller Mike Cisneros. In their upcoming book Functional Aesthetics for Data Visualization, Vidya (the “academic”) and Bridget (the “practitioner”) explore the relationships among what we see, how we encode information, and what we mean. You’ll hear about the “bento box” model of organizing our information; how text, tone, register, and language affects our visualizations; how our relationship to food can inform what makes a communication effective; and how to go beyond “it depends” when considering the answers to challenging questions.  related links: Follow Vidya: Twitter (@vsetlur) | LinkedIn  | Tableau Research Follow Bridget: Twitter (@WindsCogley) | LinkedIn | TableauFit blog Book: Functional Aesthetics for Data Visualization Article: Honoring Kelly Martin, including the “Birdstrike Redoux” visualization Article: The Ishango bone, an early mathematical tool Paper: “The medium is the message” by Marshall McLuhan Article: “Light vision” by Margaret Livingstone (regarding isoluminance in Monet) Book: Mind in Motion by Barbara Tversky

Data storyteller Mike Cisneros sat down with Iron Viz champion, Tableau Visionary, and self-described “data jackalope” Joshua Smith to talk about how folklore—the study of how information is communicated, primarily through informal means—provides us a fascinating lens through which to examine how data visualization has evolved and continues to develop, both as a discipline and as a community of practitioners. You’ll learn how “best practices” emerge, transform and persist (or are discarded) over time, how informal communication and culture can have unexpected effects on how our work is received, the inextricable links between belief and “objective” data, and how a storyteller can position themselves to be most effective. Several folklorists were mentioned in the course of this discussion. Dan Ben-Amos defined folklore as “Artistic communication in small groups.”  Lynne S. McNeil defined it as “Informally transmitted traditional culture.”  Alan Dundes identified many forms of folklore   William Bascom specified the four functions of folklore: it lets people escape from repressions imposed upon them by society e.g.: tall tales; it validates culture, justifying its rituals and institutions to those who perform and observe them; it is a pedagogic device which reinforces morals and values and builds wit; and it is a means of applying social pressure and exercising social control Richard Bauman explored performance theory and audience evaluation  Andrea Kitta explored the strength of personal narrative  Book |  Info We Trust by RJ Andrews Project | Makeover Monday  Article | Nancy Duarte - “Like Yoda You Must Be”  Article | Lilach Manheim & Mike Cisneros - “Beyond the hook: Building information experiences for attention and engagement”  Visualization | Robert Janezic - “Music Memories” 

Recently, Cole chatted with senior data analyst Shashank Kalanithi for his YouTube channel, where he helps people break into the world of analytics. Listen to this repost of their conversation—you’ll hear Cole reflect on a wide range of topics, from why technical experts should double down on communication skills, to the ideal tech stack, to advice for undergrads, graduate students, and those transitioning into a career in data. Tune in also to be among the first to hear details about Cole’s new book! Follow Shashank’s YouTube channel Watch the original conversation Practice & exchange feedback: SWD community Article: data doesn't speak for itself Article: audience matters Article: audience, audience, audience Article: what tool should I use? Podcast: goals like Google Podcast: data viz research with Steven Franconeri