How do you manage data overload in storytelling?

I often talk about how important it is to understand, concisely, what the theme of your story is. You should be able to state it in a single short sentence, and I recommend writing it down. When dealing with data, you're either trying to tease a story from the data (bottom up), or aligning the data with the story (top down). Either approach works, but you'll have an easier time by being explicit. What's the theme? And how are you going to drive that theme home? With the answers to those questions written down, it's much easier to figure out what data belongs in the story, and what data does not. Remember, you can always link to the larger data set, or have footnotes that provide any needed context. So don't get too bogged down!

It's similar to presenting details with a clear objective in mind. If you are discussing a new product, for instance, emphasize qualities that are specific to it or benefits for the customer; these are aspects that will help you achieve your aim. Having a clear objective for your story will help you weed out irrelevant information and maintain its effectiveness.

If your presentation is about the data, you've lost the plot. Instead, start with the story. What's the throughline of your story? What's the takeaway at the end? Then, use data to support your story.

If the data set is extensive, based on your purpose you need to select the most important data accordingly. But at the same time you need to ensure you don’t get biased unknowingly. If data is related to each other, you need to include them carefully. In the above case you should focus on data visualisations that cover all important data points.

Think of your data like a treasure chest. Too much gold and jewels can weigh you down. But knowing your purpose? That's your treasure map! 🗺️💎 1️⃣ Your Compass: What's your main goal? Keep it as your north star, guiding your story through the sea of data. 2️⃣ Filter the Gems: Not all data is equal. Pick the pieces that sparkle brightest for your story. Less can be more! 3️⃣ Connect the Dots: Like a great movie plot, connect your data points to make a captivating story. Make your audience the hero! 4️⃣ Simple Wins: Keep it easy to understand. Imagine explaining it to a friend over coffee. 5️⃣ Engage Emotions: Data tells, but stories sell. Touch hearts to move minds.

Data formats is one of many important narrative tools to consider. When your purpose is audience resonance and connection, your selected formats for presenting the data that enhances the story need to ultimately be informed by the recipients. This underlines the importance of continuously and consistently bearing your audience in mind - their emotions and characteristics - as you select the formats for your data. Always as yourself: "What is this format going to do for my audience?"

Bad graphs are everywhere from people with diverse backgrounds. There is a Reddit Forum called 'Data is ugly' that captures all sorts of bad graphs in News, Books, Conferences, Meetings etc. Cole Knaflic in her book on DataStory Telling, on page one has a number of graphs that looks kind of random with a caption "Bad graphs are everywhere". One thing I tell my team, avoid pie charts except when you have 2-3 variables to show maximum. There is a lot to learn, and you got to read Edward Tufte book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information if you want to see examples of how visualization impact your story and the power of your message. Choosing the right format and the right display is not just a science but an art as well.

A well-told story can move you. The same story won't make any difference to you if told badly. By badly, I mean not drawing a clear picture in readers'/viewers' minds. And a storyteller can do this with the help of data and millions of ways to represent them. However, sometimes, data can be overwhelming. At that time, you must ask yourself one question: Is this the right format to tell a story? If yes, come up with a good data representation system, i.e., for films, you can use AI-type things to showcase your data or complex structure. The same is done in many films, including Ironman.

The visualisation and presentation of data is super important ... it can really shift a mindset or turn people off!!!!! ...... I have lost count the amount of times I have seen seniors leaders stand up in from a people with a presentation slide covered by an excel screen shot with numbers everywhere .... that actually say nothing. Less is more in many respects here. Know the people that you are storytelling to, then decide the level of data you wish to incorporate and then decide how you wish to present it. With so many creative and accessible ways to share data now ... with a bit of thinking time, you will find the right avenue to make an impact with data and support your story outcome.

It's about matching the data's nature with the audience's preferences and the story's rhythm. For a report, tables might work, but for a pitch, visuals like graphs make a more immediate impact. It’s like a chef choosing the right ingredients for a dish - the goal is to enhance, not overpower the main flavour.

Simplifying is one of the hardest but most important things to do as a storyteller. In our stories we have the tendency to include lots of elements and details, in an attempt to transport our audience in our world, but too much doesn't help. Start by identifying the "one thing" that you wish your story to convey and make sure that you emphasize on it. This will guide you on what to eliminate.

It's crucial to recognize that your audience will likely retain only a single fact from your narrative. You should distill your message to focus sharply on that one pivotal fact or idea you want them to remember. Bombarding an audience with an array of facts will dilute the impact of your story, making it harder for them to grasp the essence of your message.

As the saying goes, "One death is a tragedy. A million deaths a statistic." Whenever possible, pair your data with the story of a single person. On a related note, Richard Thaler distinguishes between the "identified" life vs the "statistical" life: "Let a six-year-old girl with brown hair need thousands of dollars for an operation that will prolong her life until Christmas, and the post office will be swamped with nickels and dimes to save her. But let it be reported that without sales tax the hospital facilities of Massachusetts will deteriorate and cause a barely perceptible increase in preventable deaths—not many will drop a tear or reach for their checkbooks."

Simplify the data by breaking it down to byte-size impact. For eg. - saying 60% of teenage girls do not get access to menstrual hygiene. This can instead be stated as - 3 out 5 girls are at high risk of STD because they do not access to Menstrual Hygiene.

This approach guarantees clarity and engagement without overloading the viewer, much like a storyteller who carefully selects plot points. I prioritize and deconstruct information when managing data overload while telling a story, much like a storyteller building a tale. I pick out the most essential elements, just like when I select the main characters in a narrative. For example, I focus on the crucial benchmarks rather than bombarding my audience with every little detail when delivering project updates. In this manner, I ensure the story stays memorable, captivating, and clear without giving the viewer too much information.

It’s important you have the trust of your audience, they must believe you are credible, so they pay attention. Keep the subject matter interesting, quote as many life experiences, that are relevant. Make sure things are real and not hyped up, the truth is so important. Timing for humour is so important, so introduce it at the right time and in the right way. Facts hold the audiences attention, if they are interesting and accurate, everything you say will be “googled”. Remember, whoever you are addressing must warm to you, selling yourself should be the first step. You are the privileged one, not them for listening to you.

Impact over input (always). Data starts feeling overwhelming or overloaded when it lacks meaning. When I say meaning, I’m referring to - how will this data set impact your audience? When you start with meaning you get a buy-in from your audience to be interested in your data. In fact, after establishing meaning. Your data will not feel overwhelming for your audience. They would want to know more.

Obtaining balance in how you nurture your storytelling is very important. I talk about nurturing as a focused layer in my book and unique storytelling model. Going heavy on data will for sure connect with the rational, objective and logical parts of the human brain. But this needs complimenting with emotion, which allows you to connect on a more human level, release hormones in your audience and in turn present a balanced approach to your storytelling. Really try and challenge yourself to start with a 50:50 approach and go from there ... test it ... see the difference in the audience response. It will be worth it ...

Un dato sin contexto es un número, una cifra. Un dato con escenario es una historia. Los datos son los grandes protagonistas de muchas historias actuales. Así que trátalos como personajes y que formen parte del relato.

Facts may inform, but emotions ignite action. Contextualize your data with relatable anecdotes, personal experiences, or powerful visuals that evoke emotions. Whether it's joy, empathy, or even righteous anger, emotions are the fuel that propels your story into the hearts of your audience.

Nobody intends to make a bad graph, but it happens in all industries to people with different skillsets. But remember, It is not only about visuals…. It may sound strange at first, but data analysis is not just about visually appealing graphics and charts. It’s about telling a good story. The visualization is the means, the story is the actual message. And the more compelling it is, the more value you will eventually derive from your data. People remember stories, not data.  Take them on your journey.

Gather feedback from colleagues, mentors, or test audiences to assess the effectiveness of your storytelling in managing data overload. Iterate and refine your storytelling based on feedback, focusing on areas where the audience may feel overwhelmed or confused by the data.

Testing is like the dress rehearsal before the big show. It's where you fine-tune the pacing, the tone, and the clarity. Does this data story capture your attention? Does it make sense? Does it move you?

Pay attention to their reactions and gather insights on whether the data is effectively communicated and understood. Use this feedback to further refine your storytelling approach.

Stories are living entities, evolving with every telling. Embrace feedback, analyze metrics, and be open to refinement. Test different angles, formats, and narratives to see what resonates best. It's not about perfection but progress, continuously honing your storytelling craft to captivate and compel your audience.

Data is meant to be communicated with an informative writing type. Still, it won't hurt if you use storytelling to keep your reader’s attention. After all, if you think that the dataset is too much, it will probably overwhelm your readers, too. So consider highlighting the most important and supporting data, as mentioned in this article, then tell the story. You can use my format: -Start by using a story to introduce the data set. -Then, give your readers a break by stating the data clearly. You have already toyed with their emotions, so allow them to relax. -Then, you can insert storytelling again. I call this method “informative storytelling.”

In school, we learn about language, math and sciences. On the language side, we learn how to put words together into sentences and into stories. With math, we learn to make sense of numbers. But it is rare that these two sides are paired. No one teaches us how to tell stories with numbers. And what happened in our world is that we have a mass of data being captured every day with a huge desire to make sense out of all this data. Being able to filter, clean and visualize the data is key to turning it into information and knowledge that can be conveyed through story telling.

Stories have been the basis since the beginning of humanity. Telling, teaching and exemplifying through stories has been a mandate that human beings have transferred to each new generation. We have not changed much. Stories captivate us. A concept can be acquired more easily if it is told as a story rather than as a set of hard facts. To be a good storyteller you must be able to handle timing without fear and with ease. The tone you use will depend on you and what you want to show, for example, mentioning about the increase in sales of a product may sound different if you decide to point it from a more dramatic side or if you use a bit of humor. A word of advice, use pauses. Speaking quickly to end quickly is a mistake that is often made.

In managing data overload in storytelling, it's crucial to remember that stories are the vessels that carry your data to your audience. I've found that the most effective stories are those that are authentic and honest, resonating with the audience on a personal level. Therefore, while it's essential to simplify and prioritize data, adding context and emotion is equally important to create a compelling narrative.

Think of data as a language. Sometimes, it speaks through numbers; other times, it whispers through trends or shouts through anomalies. An unconventional approach could be using data to tell a story backward – starting from the present and tracing back to the origins. It can offer a fresh perspective, leading the audience on a journey of discovery.