Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

Exploratory vs. explanatory analysis

Data Points.

Good book for Exploratory Analysis (vs. Explanation). Maybe next book? Also, what can we add to our product to allow for the transition?

What biases does our audience have that might make them supportive of or resistant to our message?

What do you believe the data will show? Is that well known though out the organization ?

Mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal recognized this in his native French, with a statement that translates roughly to “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time” (a sentiment often attributed to Mark Twain).

Tables are great for just that—communicating to a mixed audience whose members will each look for their particular row of interest. If you need to communicate multiple different units of measure, this is also typically easier with a table than a graph.

Tables in live presentations Using a table in a live presentation is rarely a good idea. As your audience reads it, you lose their ears and attention to make your point verbally. When you find yourself using a table in a presentation or report, ask yourself: what is the point you are trying to make? Odds are that there will be a better way to pull out and visualize the piece or pieces of interest. In the event that you feel you’re losing too much by doing this, consider whether including the full table in the appendix and a link or reference to it will meet your audience’s needs.

Great point!!!

If you find yourself using a pie chart, pause and ask yourself: why? If you’re able to answer this question, you’ve probably put enough thought into it to use the pie chart, but it certainly shouldn’t be the first type of graph that you reach for, given some of the difficulties in visual interpretation we’ve discussed here.