In a workplace—and world—saturated with information, the ability to cut through the noise and deliver a clear, compelling message is invaluable. That’s why “data storytelling” isn't a fad; it's an essential communication skill. It's how we need to transform dry numbers and complex data into actionable insights and turn passive audiences into engaged stakeholders.

In other words, the ability to weave facts and figures into a high-impact story is a critical skill that separates a good technical presenter from a great one.

Consider Steve Jobs, a master technology storyteller, at the Macworld Conference and Expo in 2007. Jobs unveiled the original iPhone there, but not simply as just another smartphone. He used a three-part narrative to build anticipation and make his case for a product that would change the world.

1. The "Villain": Jobs started by pointing out the flaws of existing smartphones. They weren't smart or easy to use. This created a clear problem and a "villain" for his hero product to defeat. He showed how existing devices had tiny keyboards and clunky software, a pain point everyone in the audience could relate to. This established the context for his innovation.
   
   
2. The "Hero": He then introduced the iPhone as a three-in-one device: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communicator. This wasn't just a list of features; it was a powerful narrative of combining three essential devices into one elegant solution. The visual of a single device replacing three separate ones was incredibly impactful.
   
   
3. The "Resolution": Jobs demonstrated the iPhone's user-friendly interface, showcasing the multi-touch display and fluid animations. He didn't just show a spec sheet; he showed how the device would fundamentally change a user's daily life. He told a story of a better way to live, using the data of the device's features and performance to prove his point. The result was not just a product launch, but a cultural moment that redefined an entire industry.

Now, most business presentations aren’t going to change the world. Yet with any presentation, you have an opportunity to light up people’s brains and win their hearts by elevating data so it has more context, more meaning, and more lasting impact. And in a business world that is increasingly more global and diverse, we all need to find the data “stories” that inspire connection and collaborative action.

Read on for our best insights and tips to help you become an effective, engaging data storyteller.

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The Forgetfulness Factor: Why Data Needs a Story

Emily Schmidt, a 12-time Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist, communication consultant, and recent PowerSpeaking Live! panelist, kicked off the conversation with a dose of reality: "We aren't as good as we think we are. Our data is not as strong as we think it is." That is, our data alone often isn’t as moving or memorable as we think it should be. She cited a study revealing that people forget a third to half of what they hear within just eight hours, and by two months, that retention drops to a mere 25%. This stark "forgetfulness factor" underscores a critical challenge: if your audience isn’t moved enough to remember your data, it won't have an impact.

When are people most likely to be moved by and remember data? It’s when there’s some emotional connection to it. They have to feel something about the facts and figures you’re presenting. They have to care.

This isn’t just feel-good fluff. Neuroscience has made a strong connection between emotion and recall. A key study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, “The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Recall” (2017), highlighted that emotion has a "substantial influence on cognitive processes," including attention, learning, and memory. The research, which reviewed neuroimaging findings, explained that the amygdala—the brain's emotional center—works in conjunction with the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus to facilitate memory consolidation. Essentially, when a piece of information is linked to an emotional response, the amygdala modulates these other brain regions, strengthening the memory trace and making it easier to retrieve later.

Here’s where we come full circle: One of the best ways to give your audience an emotional connection to data is to wrap it in a vivid, relevant, compelling narrative. The fact is, we humans are hardwired to perk up, listen intently, and remember a colorful, meaningful, well-told story—and consequently, the data inside. (Proof point: How many little pigs did the wolf try to blow their houses down by huffing and puffing?)

So, next time you’re preparing a presentation with the firm belief that your data alone speaks for itself, remember the mighty amygdala, Steve Jobs’ iPhone, and the three little pigs.

Beyond the Bar Chart: The Power of Narrative

Too many presenters still rely solely on static reports, spreadsheets, and busy charts, leaving the audience to connect the dots and draw their own conclusions as to what the main message is and why they should care. 

It's the difference between saying "Our app's crash rate increased by 10%" and explaining concisely why the crash rate increased, how it affected specific customers (read: stories), and proposing a long-term solution. This narrative approach makes the data more memorable and impactful.

The Three Pillars of a Great Data Story

A compelling data story is built on three essential components:

1. Data: Yes, data is important. It’s the foundation—the clean, accurate, and relevant information you've gathered. Without good data, your story is just fiction.
   
   
2. Visuals: Data visualizations are the supporting cast of your story. Compelling visuals that “tell the story” of your data quickly and clearly don't just display data; they make it accessible and easy to understand. A well-designed visual can reveal patterns and trends that might be hidden in a spreadsheet.
   
   
3. Narrative: This is the glue that holds everything together. The narrative is the plot of your story, providing a clear beginning, middle, and end. It introduces the problem, presents the data as evidence, and concludes with a call to action or key takeaway.

Think of it like a movie. The data is the raw footage, the visuals are the editing and special effects, and the narrative is the screenplay. All three must work together to create an engaging and memorable experience that inspires action.

Driving Action: Simplify, Justify, Amplify

Emily shared a powerful framework for delivering a narrative that drives action:

• Simplify: Boil down complex information to the most essential takeaway. Ask yourself, "What's the headline?" If you can't summarize your main point in a sentence, you'll likely lose your audience.
  
  
• Justify: Use your data to explain why the action you're recommending is necessary. Remember the brain science: they have to care.
  
  
• Amplify: Show how the data makes a difference in a broader perspective. This is where the story truly comes in, helping people grasp the opportunity or the consequences of inaction.
  
  

A Data Storytelling Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words

The true value of data storytelling lies in its ability to help people see things they can’t see in a spreadsheet alone, and to inspire them to action. When people understand the story behind the data, they are more likely to buy into the findings and support the proposed solutions. 

Emily shared a fabulous example. The senior executives at a large biotech company were driving all departments to focus on innovation—and to present their achievements to the executive board. A team of line managers in manufacturing was hesitant at first to take the stage in the boardroom, but with Emily’s help, they hit upon a unique and powerful way to tell the story of what they’d achieved. Have a listen to what sparked a standing ovation when they finished presenting to the C-Suite . . .

Another compelling, although not happy, data “image” was shockingly unforgettable to our CEO, Carrie Beckstrom. The Atlantic collaborated with COVID-19 tracking institutions to represent the number of deaths with images rather than just numbers. One of these calculated that a certain number of deaths would correspond to a specific number of miles of coffins, laid end to end. For example, at one point, it was estimated that the coffins would stretch for over 400 miles, longer than the state of Florida. This powerful imagery helped people grasp the magnitude of the loss in a way that abstract numbers could not. “Of all the numbers I’d heard and read, the image of driving along a road for 400 miles lined with coffins took my breath away, and I’ll never forget it,” Carrie says.

Knowing Your Audience: The Lone Green Dot

When you think about wrapping any data in a story, you must consider your audience. What speaks to one group of professionals might be lost on another. 

Again, Emily shared a great anecdote. She needed to present to MDs and PhDs at a pharma company who were skeptical of "storytelling." Instead of starting with complex pharmaceutical data they already knew better than her, she began with something they could relate to. Listen to her tell the story of her scatter graph of a "patient profile," and a lone green dot representing—are you ready?—basketball star Caitlin Clark as a radical outlier.

We’ve developed a tool to help presenters analyze their audience.  Download it here.

Parting Advice: Your Data’s Story Matters

Emily's final advice resonates deeply: "Tell the story. But let the story be the story of the data." Not the story of the mountain of detail that led to your data’s main message, but rather, the story that makes it matter to your audience.

In order to get your main message across, don't be afraid to simplify, justify, and amplify. The data can't do it all on its own. Your role is to be the "voice of the data," using compelling narratives to ensure that people are moved, and you create a meaningful impact.