Data Storytelling

Data Storytelling

1. A data story will express your point of view

   • Data can’t tell a story without your help. The choices you make — the metrics and visualization you choose, the sequence of content, even how you label the data — these are all an expression of your priorities and insights into the data.

2. Be ethical in the message and manipulation of data

   • With great storytelling power comes great responsibility. Don’t hide data that would counter your view. Don’t hide your agenda and message. Don’t mess with the scale or labels to manipulate how your audience interprets the data.

3. Know your message before creating your data story

   • We get ahead of ourselves sometimes by creating piles of charts and visualizations, hoping a collection of half-baked thoughts will add up to a complete story.