COMM 652 – Business Analytics

- Storytelling with Data

Agenda
Visual Analytics and Storytelling • Assignment #2 – Deliverables
• Part I: Planning the Data Story
with Data • Part II: Developing Effective Visualizations
• Break (15 minutes)
Michael Johnson, PhD • Part III: Crafting the Narrative
• Break (15 minutes)
Class 5! • Part IV: Creating an Interactive Dashboard in Tableau Desktop
(Content already posted in Moodle)

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Assignment #2 Agenda
Deliverables: • Part I: Planning the Data Story
1. Exploratory Dashboard – this allows interaction by the user to gain • What is a Data Story?
some insight to the topic/issue. • When and where is it relevant? Why do we care?
2. Explanatory Visualizations – these are specific visualizations that • Exploratory and Explanatory analysis
are designed to articulate the data story! See assignment
• Importance of understanding the “Target Audience” and the
deliverables: “Supporting Visualizations” that are used within your
“Target Message”
powerpoint slides to tell the data story. These visuals should be
understandable and/or actionable.
3. Powerpoint Presentation – the data story!

4. Sat Dec 7th – Presentations!

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What is a Data Story? What is a narrative?

“a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.”

“A narrative, either true or fictious, in prose or verse, designed to interest,

amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.”

“A way of communicating a relevant message to an audience, using

Visualizations + Narrative = Data Story emotional context, with relatable characters who address conflicts in order
to change, grow or learn.”
A live presentation involving data and
visualizations.

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

When is storytelling appropriate? Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself?
Many situations do not lend themselves to storytelling: 1. Stories can help build relationships.
• The data shows what everyone knows and agrees with
• A narrative connected to a known fact is not worth telling

Storytelling is needed when insights are NOT obvious.

These are situations that are:
• Challenging to understand
• Not Obvious
• Business impact is high
• A story worth telling challenges and changes the audience.

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Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself? Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself?
1. Stories can help build relationships. 1. Stories can help build relationships.
2. Stories are memorable. 2. Stories are memorable.
Word List: Story:
What is the most 1. Pineapple Once upon a time, a koala astronaut wearing a sombrero and
memorable thing that 2. Tuba carrying a pineapple, stumbled upon a cactus while hopping on a
3. Astronaut
you know about me? pogo stick in the desert. Suddenly, a giraffe with a tuba came out of
4. Umbrella nowhere and started playing a lively tune. The koala astronaut couldn't
Michael Johnson 5. Koala resist and started dancing while holding the pineapple. Just then, it
6. Cactus
Beyond my love of data started to rain, and the giraffe pulled out an umbrella. The koala
7. Pogo stick astronaut and the giraffe played and danced all day long while
and analytics? 8. Sombrero enjoying some delicious sushi. Later that night, they were joined by a
9. Sushi hippopotamus with a megaphone, who announced that the desert
10. Giraffe had become a new popular tourist destination for intergalactic
11. Megaphone travelers. The end.
12. Hippopotamus

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Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself? Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself?
1. Stories can help build relationships. 1. Stories can help build relationships.
2. Stories are memorable. 2. Stories are memorable (provide emotion).
3. Stories can turn insignificant objects into significant ones.
12 Lists versus 12 stories
13% remember the words using a list
95% remember the words using a story

Takeaway: Stories are far more memorable than simply information

(or data) by itself.

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself? Why tell stories? Why not let the visualization speak for itself?
1. Stories can help build relationships. 1. Stories can help build relationships.
2. Stories are memorable (provide emotion). 2. Stories are memorable (provide emotion).
3. Stories can turn insignificant objects into significant ones. 3. Stories can turn insignificant objects into significant ones.
4. Stories engage the brain where decisions are made. 4. Stories engage the brain where decisions are made.
5. Stories engage the audience and can open up the audience to
change.

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Exploratory versus Explanatory Analysis Exploratory or Explanatory Analysis?

“Concentrate on the
pearls, the information
your audience needs
to know”. Cole Knaflic

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Exploratory or Explanatory Analysis? Planning the Data Story

WHO is your target audience?

Who is the
Decision Maker?

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Planning the Data Story Planning the Data Story

WHAT are their objectives? WHAT are your objectives? ACTION WORDS – What is the intended ACTION of your audience?
This helps defines purpose.

ACTION.

What decisions/actions does your audience What is the

need to make as a result of the data story? “Call to ACTION”?

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Planning the Data Story Planning the Data Story

Call to ACTION Call to ACTION

What are the consequences if your audience reacts

positively to your data story?

What are the consequences if your audience reacts

negatively to your data story?

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Planning the Data Story Agenda

• Part II: Developing Effective Visualizations for Data Stories
The Target Message is 1-2 sentences that defines:
• Key Principles
• the problem or opportunity, and
• Redesign Exercise
• identifies an outcome (action/decision) that is expected through
the process of your data-driven storytelling.

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Developing Effective Visualizations for Key Principles for Creating Understandable Visualizations
Explanatory Purposes* 1. Chart Selection
• Chart Type: Simplicity trumps complexity
Goal: • Orientation
• Make it purposeful
1.Understandable 2. Proper Labelling
3. Consider the Human Brain
2.Actionable • Use length over area
• Effective use of colour
4. Cognitive overload: Remove clutter and distractions
*These are visualizations that you would 5. Be accurate and ethical (and Charts to avoid)

present LIVE to your audience.

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#1: Chart Selection #1: Chart Selection: Simplicity trumps complexity

Common visualizations that should be used in Data Stories

“the correct visualization is the one that is easiest for

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my audience to understand”.. Cole Knaflic 27 © 2023 Johnson, M., PhD. All rights reserved. 28

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#1: Chart Selection: Simplicity trumps complexity #1: Chart Selection: Simplicity trumps complexity
Simple Text

Only 25%
of the surveyed companies officially acknowledged the efforts
made towards enhancing employee well-being and promoting
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace during
their employee performance review processes.

From: Women in the Workplace 2021 - McKinsey From: Women in the Workplace 2021 - McKinsey
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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

#1: Chart Selection: Orientation #1: Chart Selection: Orientation

Horizontal or Vertical Axis? Horizontal or Vertical Axis?

Days Countries
Weeks Products
Months Sales Channels
Quarters Profit Centres
Years
Accounts
Date/Timestamp
Cost Centres
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#1: Chart Selection: Make it Purposeful #2: Proper Labelling

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/sample-retail-analysis#get-the-built-in-sample
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#3: Consider the Human Brain #3: Consider the Human Brain
• For example, which point that is highest on the slide? • Select the bar that is tallest and shortest?
• Which 2 dots are closest together?

• Takeaway: Judging distance and relative length in 2D is easy

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

#3: Consider the Human Brain #3: Consider the Human Brain
Which is the greatest area? Which is the greatest arc? 3D

Takeaway: Avoid 3D
Takeaway: Judging areas and curved lengths is hard

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#3: Consider the Human Brain #4: Cognitive Overload: Remove Clutter and Distractions
• Humans can visually perceive 2D space well but are challenged
with estimating areas, multiple colour intensity and 3D space

Colour Position in
Length of Line Area Intensity 3D Space

Perceive Accurately Perceive Inaccurately

Connections Position in Radial Distance

2D Space

https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/gallery/2013/aug/01/16-useless-infographics
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#4: Cognitive Overload: Remove Clutter and Distractions #4: Cognitive Overload: Remove Clutter and Distractions

From: Alana Pirrone's Blog

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

#4: Cognitive Overload: Remove Clutter and Distractions #4: Cognitive Overload: Remove Clutter and Distractions

From: Alana Pirrone's Blog

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#5: Be Accurate and Ethical (and Charts to Avoid) #5: Be Accurate and Ethical (and Charts to Avoid)
Some key take-ways for visualizations and ethics: Some key take-ways for visualizations and ethics:
1. Bar Charts: must have a zero baseline 1. Bar Charts: must have a zero baseline
2. Consider the accuracy of your visualizations
3. Don’t manipulate data to sell your point

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#5: Be Accurate and Ethical (and Charts to Avoid) Team Exercise: Redesign Activity – 10 minutes
Charts to Avoid Consider the following scenario:

You are the Acting Director in an IT department of a major

distributor and every month you delegate projects to various
employees in your team. In the past year, you’ve had a couple of
people leave the firm and decided at the time not to replace them.

You’ve heard some complaints of excessive hours from some of

your team to cover the load and have recently been asked about
hiring needs for the coming year. You have been given a 5 minute
spot in next month’s directors meeting to address any HR issues
related to your team.
“WTF Visualizations”
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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Team Exercise: Redesign Activity – 10 minutes Team Exercise: Redesign Activity

Your assistant has created a bar Understandable?

chart showing monthly project files Actionable?
received and completed. Download
the data file from Moodle and see if
you can use Excel to develop a
more effective visualization that
supports the data story for hiring
more employees for your team.

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Team Exercise: Redesign Activity

Consider the
improvements: Break -15 minutes!
• Actionable Title
• Text annotations
• The use of colour to
highlight and contrast
• Elimination of Clutter!

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Agenda Constructing the Data Story

• Part III: Crafting the Narrative
• Narrative Structures/Frameworks
• Narrative Flow
• Powerpoint – final considerations
• Exercise

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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Narrative Flow
1. Chronological
• From the viewpoint of the company
• From the your viewpoint as the analyst

2. Lead with the ending (Barbara Minto: The Pyramid Principle)

Call to Action:
Make it clear what you
want your audience to do
with this new Information

© Dykes, B 2020.

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Developing the Narrative Structure using Storylines The Action Titles (headlines) of your Slides should read as a story
Storylines Do you prefer to read this story... or this story?

Historic revenue 2012-2022

Revenue is stagnant since 2020
• Represent key messages (the “pearls”) of your data story to be
communicated, done prior to using Powerpoint Historic cost level 2012-2022 Meantime, costs increased 15%
Forecast margin development Important to act now, to avoid losing
• Commonly prepared using Word or Post-It notes before touching Powerpoint money next year
Alternatives for profitability A cost reduction plan is needed in
• Storylines should be represented as Action Titles in your powerpoint slides order to maintain profitability
Recommendations Recommended cost centers that
• It is a living, breathing, evolving thing that ALWAYS matches the can be reduced
presentation

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Review: Do I have a good Data Story? Final Thoughts: PowerpointBest Practices

1. Keep it Simple! Declutter / Eliminate
NO YES
2. One Key Message Per Slide
A collection of slides A story… 3. Use Action Titles (your Storylines!)
Random thoughts Communication experience 4. Use a white or solid colour background to make text more readable
No Narrative Action Titles (headlines) 5. Avoid PPT templates with too many colors
Boring Memorable 6. Create your slide deck AFTER you’ve planned out your narrative and its
No change in behavior Inspires action structure and flow
Me-focused Audience-focused
Complex visuals Understandable / Actionable visuals
Cluttered thinking Clear Thoughts
Unclear Actions Actionable Takeaways
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COMM 652 – Business Analytics
- Storytelling with Data

Final Thoughts: Practice Makes Perfect Additional Reads

Practice: Say it out loud! Storytelling with Data: A Data Effective Data Storytelling
Visualization Guide for
Business Professionals

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Questions?

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