storytelling with data podcast

Whether you’ve asked for it or not, sometimes critique from others simply gets under our skin. From feel-good platitudes that lack actionability to outright requests to manipulate data—Cole covers five categories of common graph and slide feedback that people hate to receive. Tune in to learn strategies and practical tips that will help you turn undesirable feedback into useful and insightful input for better graphs and presentations. related links: Book: storytelling with you: plan, create, & deliver a stellar presentation SWD challenge: rebrand it! Attend a workshop (use discount PODCAST10 for 10% off) Resources for university instructors Learn via videos: SWD YouTube channel

What does Cole’s 7-year-old daughter have in common with the typical audience member for your data stories? Tune in to find out! In this short episode, Cole discusses a handful of specific things you can do to help set yourself—and others—up for successful data stories. Listening time 12:29 | related links: Resource: the BIG PICTURE worksheet Related SWD community exercise: the big picture Podcast episode 49: become a data viz superstar Video series: become a data viz superstar Article: showing the insights vs. showing off Video: the final presentation More videos: SWD YouTube channel Book: storytelling with you: plan, create, & deliver a stellar presentation Book: let’s practice! (exercise 9.9)  

Graphs and slides are often the first tools we reach for when we need to communicate with data—but when might storytelling withOUT data yield better results? Cole outlines numerous scenarios for alternative approaches, sharing examples from clients, workshops, and her books.  From boardgames to baby pics, tune in to learn about humanizing data, when low fidelity solutions work best, the Picture Superiority Effect, and much more. related links: Book: let’s practice! Book: storytelling with you: plan, create, & deliver a stellar presentation Register for debut storytelling with you virtual workshop (use code PODCAST10 for 10% off) Organize a workshop for your team or organization Access resources for university instructors Learn via video on the SWD YouTube channel

Mike and Alex discuss the advantages and drawbacks of designing visualizations with light and dark backgrounds, using examples from SWD community members to highlight where each approach can be preferable. Then, they dive into history and discuss the staying power of some famous graphs. What makes them memorable—and how we might be able to elevate them, using modern tools and perspectives? Listening time 27:06 | related links: Challenge: Light and dark backgrounds Viz: Rob Reid’s gun ownership viz Viz: Rishi Selva’s newspaper homage Tool: Datawrapper Tool: Accessible Colors Viz: Mike Cisneros’s Last Words viz Challenge: Remake a famous graph Challenge: Making or missing the mark Join data storyteller office hours by going premium in SWD community Learn via video on the SWD YouTube channel  

Cole draws on a recent experience that underscored the power of thoughtful EMPHASIS. Tune in for practical tactics to create contrast visually and verbally, whether for important numbers or words, focusing attention within your table or graph, or communicating clear emphasis through how you speak and move. Cole and colleague Simon also address related questions on tips for virtual presentations, eliminating filler words, preparing content for someone else to present, and more. Listening time 41:54 | related links: Register for Chicago masterclass on May 5th (use code PODCAST10 for 10% off) Order storytelling with you: plan, create, & deliver a stellar presentation Access resources for university instructors Join data storyteller office hours by going premium in SWD community Learn via video on the SWD YouTube channel

You'll probably make a few mistakes when learning to visualize and communicate data. That's okay! It's all a part of the learning journey and can be preferred since we often learn more from our mistakes than our successes. SWD storyteller Alex embraces her early missteps as she takes a trip down memory lane to share where she went wrong and what she learned.  Listening time 18:11 plus intro/outro |  related links: Podcast episode: data viz research with Steven Franconeri Research article (Visual Thinking Lab): Declutter and focus Steve Wexler’s article: Should you use dashboards to tell stories? Video: sample presentation with chart animation  Workshops: 2023 calendar (use special code PODCAST10)  

SWD storytellers Elizabeth and Mike join forces to tackle some thorny questions about connecting with your audience: how do you know if you’ve done a good job, and what if you have to deliver bad news? In light of a recent “partner up!” challenge in the SWD community, they explore the benefits of working together with colleagues, friends, strangers, and even family members, while sharing some lessons learned from their own collaborative experiences. Listening time: 34:00 Related links: Website: SWD challenge Article: stop, collaborate and listen (to your audience) Workshops: 2023 calendar (use special code PODCAST10) Order storytelling with you Get sample content from Cole’s new book  

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