storytelling with data podcast

Lights, camera, action! Tune in to hear Cole, Randy and the entire SWD team chat with Kristen Johnson, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing at Wingate University and prior news reporter and executive producer. Given today’s need to communicate virtually, many of us are becoming mini-news reporters from our makeshift home studios and in this segment, you’ll get a variety of pro tips on how to do this successfully. From pragmatic considerations on clothing, light, and camera setup to strategies for practicing and getting comfortable talking to a lens: this episode has something for anyone who finds themselves communicating via camera. For those wondering, the zoom recording didn't turn out (we had the wrong view settings, apparently). So, unfortunately, there is not a Zoom video recording. NEW! May 7th travel-free public workshop Products mentioned: ring light, Samson microphone, Mac StudioFix

The storytelling with data team has been a work-from-home team since the beginning and in this episode, Randy and data storytellers Elizabeth, Mike, and Alex discuss how to be productive, stay engaged and maintain sanity when working remotely from others. Tune in to hear learnings ranging from the importance of a comfortable chair to pro-tips for video conferencing and staying connected with colleagues. With a thoughtful approach, working from home means you can fit work into the rhythm of life and measure success based on accomplishments, rather than hours in the office. LINKS: Podcast: goals like Google Learn (organizations): travel-free workshop Learn (individuals): live stream workshop Connect & hone skills: SWD community

Why do we visualize data and what makes data visualization good? Tune in to hear Cole share her thoughts on these and related questions. She also answers listener questions about chronological versus lead-with-ending ordering for presentations, what to do when trying to show many data series in a line graph, and resources for communicating risk in a way that is easy to understand. LINKS: Join us at the Austin Public workshop on Tuesday, March 10th - enter promo code podcast10 to receive 10% off! Podcast: What makes a visualization memorable? with Michelle Borkin (Data Stories) Conversation: What is the best balance between engaging & informing? (Charlie Hutcheson) Visual: What makes a good data visualization? (David McCandless) Conversation: Resources for communicating risk in a way that is easy to understand Medium post: Florence Nightingale is a design hero (RJ Andrews) Exercise: Let’s draw! Book: Data Points (Nathan Yau) SWDchallenge: small multiples Workshops: 2020 public workshop schedule, custom workshops & webinars Join the SWD community!

While in Seattle recently, Cole sat down with the author of recently published Avoiding Data Pitfalls, Ben Jones. They discuss missteps using data, why they are an expected part of our evolutionary process, and the role that human intuition plays in the analysis and synthesis of data. Listen also to Ben’s journey from engineer to Tableau to founder and CEO of Data Literacy, plus practical tips for interviewing your data, exploring its contours, and increasing data fluency for yourself and your team. LINKS: Books by Ben: Avoiding Data Pitfalls, Communicating Data with Tableau Follow Ben: @dataremixed | dataremixed.com Learn more about Data Literacy

When in DC recently, Cole visited the Urban Institute to talk with Jon Schwabish, author of Better Presentations and editor of the soon-to-be-released book, Elevate the Debate. Tune in to hear them discuss the importance of meeting people where they are, the Pyramid Philosophy for ensuring communications are rooted in sophisticated analysis, plus presentation tips on where to start, incremental slide improvements, and finishing touches. Giving a presentation is like selling an idea—it’s a skill that must be learned and Jon shares ways we can improve our own work and influence those around us. LINKS: Pre-order: Elevate the Debate Book: Better Presentations Follow Jon: @jschwabish | www.policyviz.com | Jon’s collection of warning signs Learn more about the Urban Institute People mentioned: Kim Rees, Andy Kirk, Ann Emery, Hans Rosling, Nancy Duarte, Dave Connell, Charles Schwab, RJ Andrews Image resources: Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay

Backstage at the Tableau Conference, Cole sat down with the three authors of The Big Book of Dashboards for a lively conversation. Listen to their chat about the conference, their book, and more—including Jeff’s six design tips, Steve’s goal of creating the greatest degree of understanding with the least amount of effort, and Andy’s view on the role of culture and what organizations should do before investing in a dashboarding tool to help ensure success. LINKS: Book: The Big Book of Dashboards Follow Andy: @acotgreave | www.gravyanecdote.com Follow Jeff: @HighVizAbility | www.dataplusscience.com Follow Steve: @datarevelations | www.datarevelations.com 

From graphs made with electric tape and exacto knives at NASA to CEO of a renowned Silicon Valley communications firm—in this episode, Cole talks with best-selling author Nancy Duarte about her new book, DataStory, and related topics. Tune in to hear about Nancy’s hunt for unicorns, why bridging the chasm between exploration and explanation is good for your career, and the Duarte magic that turned thousands of slides into three simple graphs. Show Links: Follow Nancy: @nancyduarte | duarte.com New book: DataStory  Other books: Resonate | Illuminate | Slide:ology | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations  

If good graphs empower us to pose good questions, what happens on the dark side of data viz? In this episode, Cole talks with Alberto Cairo about his new book, How Charts Lie. Their conversation delves into how information designers and consumers are both to blame as well as how mindfulness relates to chart making and interpretation. Tune in also to hear tips to keep from spreading misinformation, why “essay” is a beautiful word, and Alberto’s optimism for the future of data visualization. LINKS: Order How Charts Lie Follow Alberto: albertocairo.com | @albertocairo Book: Factfulness (Rosling) Book: For Argument’s Sake (Stafford) Book: How to Lie with Maps (Monmonier) Book: Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) (Tavris & Aronson) Book: Naked Statistics (Wheelan) Book: Picturing the Uncertain World (Wainer) Book: The Enigma of Reason (Mercier & Sperber) Book: The Righteous Mind (Haidt) Book: Thinking Fast & Slow (Kahneman) Visual essays: The Pudding

The sloppy copy, picture power, and more about Cole’s new book in this special episode of the SWD podcast. LINKS: Pre-order storytelling with data: Let’s Practice! Follow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast

Broadcasting from Seville, Spain—a city where modern and traditional meet in design—in this episode, Cole chats with three designers from digital production studio, Z1. The conversation flows from empathy in design to the importance of research and user feedback for de-risking projects and building thoughtful products to approaches when your client doesn’t know what they want (or wants everything!). You’ll also hear great tips on fostering a critique mindset, applying Fitts’s law, using constraints to prioritize, and being adaptive to new technologies.