Storytelling with Data

Storytelling with Data

by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
Released October 2019
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119621492

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Book description

Influence action through data!

This is not a book. It is a one-of-a-kind immersive learning experience through which you can become—or teach others to be—a powerful data storyteller.

Let’s practice! helps you build confidence and credibility to create graphs and visualizations that make sense and weave them into action-inspiring stories. Expanding upon best seller storytelling with data’s foundational lessons, Let’s practice! delivers fresh content, a plethora of new examples, and over 100 hands-on exercises. Author and data storytelling maven Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic guides you along the path to hone core skills and become a well-practiced data communicator. Each chapter includes:

● Practice with Cole: exercises based on real-world examples first posed for you to consider and solve, followed by detailed step-by-step illustration and explanation

● Practice on your own: thought-provoking questions and even more exercises to be assigned or worked through individually, without prescribed solutions

● Practice at work: practical guidance and hands-on exercises for applying storytelling with data lessons on the job, including instruction on when and how to solicit useful feedback and refine for greater impact

The lessons and exercises found within this comprehensive guide will empower you to master—or develop in others—data storytelling skills and transition your work from acceptable to exceptional. By investing in these skills for ourselves and our teams, we can all tell inspiring and influential data stories!

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. acknowledgments
  3. about the author
  4. introduction
  5. chapter one understand the context
    1. Exercise 1.1: get to know your audience
    2. Solution 1.1: get to know your audience
    3. Exercise 1.2: narrow your audience
    4. Solution 1.2: narrow your audience
    5. Exercise 1.3: complete the Big Idea worksheet
    6. Solution 1.3: complete the Big Idea worksheet
    7. Exercise 1.4: refine & reframe
    8. Solution 1.4: refine & reframe
    9. Exercise 1.5: complete another Big Idea worksheet
    10. Solution 1.5: complete another Big Idea worksheet
    11. Exercise 1.6: critique the Big Idea
    12. Solution 1.6: critique the Big Idea
    13. Exercise 1.7: storyboard!
    14. Solution 1.7: storyboard!
    15. Exercise 1.8: storyboard (again!)
    16. Solution 1.8: storyboard (again!)
    17. Exercise 1.9: get to know your audience
    18. Exercise 1.10: narrow your audience
    19. Exercise 1.11: let’s reframe
    20. Exercise 1.12: what’s the Big Idea?
    21. Exercise 1.13: what’s the Big Idea (this time)?
    22. Exercise 1.14: how could we arrange this?
    23. Exercise 1.15: storyboard!
    24. Exercise 1.16: storyboard (again!)
    25. Exercise 1.17: get to know your audience
    26. Exercise 1.18: narrow your audience
    27. Exercise 1.19: identify the action
    28. Exercise 1.20: complete the Big Idea worksheet
    29. Exercise 1.21: solicit feedback on your Big Idea
    30. Exercise 1.22: create the Big Idea as a team
    31. Exercise 1.23: get the ideas out of your head!
    32. Exercise 1.24: organize your ideas in a storyboard
    33. Exercise 1.25: solicit feedback on your storyboard
    34. Exercise 1.26: let’s discuss
  6. chapter two choose an effective visual
    1. Exercise 2.1: improve this table
    2. Solution 2.1: improve this table
    3. Exercise 2.2: visualize!
    4. Solution 2.2: visualize!
    5. Exercise 2.3: let’s draw
    6. Solution 2.3: let’s draw!
    7. Exercise 2.4: practice in your tool
    8. Solution 2.4: practice in your tool
    9. Exercise 2.5: how would you show this data?
    10. Solution 2.5: how would you show this data?
    11. Exercise 2.6: let’s visualize the weather
    12. Solution 2.6: visualize the weather
    13. Exercise 2.7: critique!
    14. Solution 2.7: critique!
    15. Exercise 2.8: what’s wrong with this graph?
    16. Solution 2.8: what’s wrong with this graph?
    17. Exercise 2.9: let’s draw
    18. Exercise 2.10: practice in your tool
    19. Exercise 2.11: improve this visual
    20. Exercise 2.12: which graph would you choose?
    21. Exercise 2.13: what’s wrong with this graph?
    22. Exercise 2.14: visualize & iterate
    23. Exercise 2.15: learn from examples
    24. Exercise 2.16: participate in #SWDchallenge
    25. Exercise 2.17: draw it!
    26. Exercise 2.18: iterate in your tool
    27. Exercise 2.19: consider these questions
    28. Exercise 2.20: say it out loud
    29. Exercise 2.21: solicit feedback
    30. Exercise 2.22: build a data viz library
    31. Exercise 2.23: explore additional resources
    32. Exercise 2.24: let’s discuss
  7. chapter three identify & eliminate clutter
    1. Exercise 3.1: which Gestalt principles are in play?
    2. Solution 3.1: which Gestalt principles are in play?
    3. Exercise 3.2: how can we tie words to the graph?
    4. Solution 3.2: how can we tie words to the graph?
    5. Exercise 3.3: harness alignment & white space
    6. Solution 3.3: harness alignment & white space
    7. Exercise 3.4: declutter!
    8. Solution 3.4: declutter!
    9. Exercise 3.5: which Gestalt principles are in play?
    10. Exercise 3.6: find an effective visual
    11. Exercise 3.7: alignment & white space
    12. Exercise 3.8: declutter!
    13. Exercise 3.9: declutter (again!)
    14. Exercise 3.10: declutter (some more!)
    15. Exercise 3.11: start with a blank piece of paper
    16. Exercise 3.12: do you need that?
    17. Exercise 3.13: let’s discuss
  8. chapter four focus attention
    1. Exercise 4.1: where are your eyes drawn?
    2. Solution 4.1: where are your eyes drawn?
    3. Exercise 4.2: focus on...
    4. Solution 4.2: focus on...
    5. Exercise 4.3: direct attention many ways
    6. Solution 4.3: direct attention many ways
    7. Exercise 4.4: visualize all the data
    8. Solution 4.4: visualize all the data
    9. Exercise 4.5: where are your eyes drawn?
    10. Exercise 4.6: focus within tabular data
    11. Exercise 4.7: direct attention many ways
    12. Exercise 4.8: how can we focus attention here?
    13. Exercise 4.9: where are your eyes drawn?
    14. Exercise 4.10: practice differentiating in your tool
    15. Exercise 4.11: figure out where to focus
    16. Exercise 4.12: let’s discuss
  9. chapter five think like a designer
    1. Exercise 5.1: use words wisely
    2. Solution 5.1: use words wisely
    3. Exercise 5.2: do it better!
    4. Solution 5.2: do it better!
    5. Exercise 5.3: pay attention to detail & design intuitively
    6. Solution 5.3: pay attention to detail & design intuitively
    7. Exercise 5.4: design in style
    8. Solution 5.4: design in style
    9. Exercise 5.5: examine & emulate
    10. Exercise 5.6: make minor changes for major impact
    11. Exercise 5.7: how could we improve this?
    12. Exercise 5.8: brand this!
    13. Exercise 5.9: make data accessible with words
    14. Exercise 5.10: create visual hierarchy
    15. Exercise 5.11: pay attention to detail!
    16. Exercise 5.12: design more accessibly
    17. Exercise 5.13: garner acceptance for your designs
    18. Exercise 5.14: let’s discuss
  10. chapter six tell a story
    1. Exercise 6.1: use takeaway titles
    2. Solution 6.1: use takeaway titles
    3. Exercise 6.2: put it into words
    4. Solution 6.2: put it into words
    5. Exercise 6.3: identify the tension
    6. Solution 6.3: identify the tension
    7. Exercise 6.4: utilize the components of story
    8. Solution 6.4: utilize the components of story
    9. Exercise 6.5: arrange along the narrative arc
    10. Solution 6.5: arrange along the narrative arc
    11. Exercise 6.6: differentiate between live & stand-alone stories
    12. Solution 6.6: differentiate between live & stand-alone stories
    13. Exercise 6.7: transition from dashboard to story
    14. Solution 6.7: transition from dashboard to story
    15. Exercise 6.8: identify the tension
    16. Exercise 6.9: move from linear path to narrative arc
    17. Exercise 6.10: build a narrative arc
    18. Exercise 6.11: evolve from report to story
    19. Exercise 6.12: form a pithy, repeatable phrase
    20. Exercise 6.13: what’s the story?
    21. Exercise 6.14: employ the narrative arc
    22. Exercise 6.15: let’s discuss
  11. chapter seven practice more with cole
    1. Exercise 7.1: new advertiser revenue
    2. Solution 7.1: new advertiser revenue
    3. Exercise 7.2: sales channel update
    4. Solution 7.2: sales channel update
    5. Exercise 7.3: model performance
    6. Solution 7.3: model performance
    7. Exercise 7.4: back-to-school shopping
    8. Solution 7.4: back-to-school shopping
    9. Exercise 7.5: diabetes rates
    10. Solution 7.5: diabetes rates
    11. Exercise 7.6: net promoter score
    12. Solution 7.6: net promoter score
  12. chapter eight practice more on your own
    1. Exercise 8.1: diversity hiring
    2. Exercise 8.2: sales by region
    3. Exercise 8.3: revenue forecast
    4. Exercise 8.4: adverse events
    5. Exercise 8.5: reasons for leaving
    6. Exercise 8.6: accounts over time
    7. Exercise 8.7: errors & complaints
    8. Exercise 8.8: taste test data
    9. Exercise 8.9: encounters by type
    10. Exercise 8.10: store traffic
  13. chapter nine practice more at work
    1. Exercise 9.1: create your plan of attack
    2. Exercise 9.2: set good goals
    3. Exercise 9.3: give & receive effective feedback
    4. Exercise 9.4: cultivate a feedback culture
    5. Exercise 9.5: refer to the SWD process
    6. Exercise 9.6: make use of an assessment rubric
    7. Exercise 9.7: facilitate a Big Idea practice session
    8. Exercise 9.8: conduct an SWD working session
    9. Exercise 9.9: set yourself up for successful data stories
    10. Exercise 9.10: let’s discuss
  14. chapter ten closing words
  15. index
  16. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Storytelling with Data
  • Author(s): Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
  • Release date: October 2019
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119621492