Effective Data Storytelling - by Brent Dykes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Until now, most of the content on data storytelling has focused solely on data visualization best practices. However, data storytelling is much more than just effective data visualization. In particular, the powerful narrative aspects have been overlooked or only lightly covered in the marketplace. In addition, very little attention has been spent on the psychological aspects of why stories outperform statistics. This book will introduce much-needed frameworks to better clarify what it means to tell stories with data and offer helpful techniques to be more effective with data storytelling. Most of the current books associated with "data storytelling" focus primarily on just the data visualization aspects, overlooking other essential components such as narrative or audience. While they highlight the importance of communicating insights through data visualizations, they don't drill deeply into the actual storytelling and limit their coverage to a small section or short chapter. In contrast, this book takes a comprehensive look at all aspects of data storytelling--not just the visual elements. This book will: Show how to turn insights into data stories that are more engaging, persuasive, and memorable. Explain why stories are more powerful than just facts or statistics alone. Explain why our brains respond better to data stories. Shows how to avoid common data storytelling mistakes Describe the six essential elements of a data story, the four steps to structuring your findings as a data story, and the seven principles for better visual storytelling. In today's data economy, everyone must be able to communicate effectively with data. It's no longer a skill that is reserved for just data scientists and analysts. This book will help readers to develop the essential skills to communicate their insights in a more persuasive, engaging, and memorable manner through data stories. They will learn how the three core elements of data storytelling--data, narrative, and visuals--can be combined to influence decisions and drive change"--

Book Synopsis

Master the art and science of data storytelling--with frameworks and techniques to help you craft compelling stories with data.

The ability to effectively communicate with data is no longer a luxury in today's economy; it is a necessity. Transforming data into visual communication is only one part of the picture. It is equally important to engage your audience with a narrative--to tell a story with the numbers. Effective Data Storytelling will teach you the essential skills necessary to communicate your insights through persuasive and memorable data stories.

Narratives are more powerful than raw statistics, more enduring than pretty charts. When done correctly, data stories can influence decisions and drive change. Most other books focus only on data visualization while neglecting the powerful narrative and psychological aspects of telling stories with data. Author Brent Dykes shows you how to take the three central elements of data storytelling--data, narrative, and visuals--and combine them for maximum effectiveness. Taking a comprehensive look at all the elements of data storytelling, this unique book will enable you to:

• Transform your insights and data visualizations into appealing, impactful data stories
• Learn the fundamental elements of a data story and key audience drivers
• Understand the differences between how the brain processes facts and narrative
• Structure your findings as a data narrative, using a four-step storyboarding process
• Incorporate the seven essential principles of better visual storytelling into your work
• Avoid common data storytelling mistakes by learning from historical and modern examples

Effective Data Storytelling: How to Drive Change with Data, Narrative and Visuals is a must-have resource for anyone who communicates regularly with data, including business professionals, analysts, marketers, salespeople, financial managers, and educators.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR EFFECTIVE DATA STORYTELLING

"Brent Dykes is the king of data storytelling; he's probably thought about this more than anyone else on the planet. No matter how good your data and analysis are, they won't have much impact unless they are embedded in a good story. Read this book to find out how to do that."
--Thomas H. Davenport, Distinguished Professor, Babson College; Research Fellow, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, Author of Competing on Analytics and The AI Advantage

"Numbers and data visualizations are powerful means to reveal insights and communicate them in business environments, but they are often more effective and persuasive when arranged into narrative structures. Brent Dykes teaches us how to ideate data-driven stories and bring them to fruition while walking us through several fascinating historical and modern examples. Data never speaks for itself; it must be interrogated and compelled to speak. This book explains how."
--Alberto Cairo, Knight Chair at the University of Miami, Author of How Charts Lie

"Dykes does a masterful job of making the vague concept of 'data storytelling' tangible and actionable. With real-world examples from history and from the present, which he deconstructs using the concepts that are the core of the book, he hits the sweet spot of being an engaging read that is also specific and tactical."
--Tim Wilson, Senior Director of Analytics, Search Discovery

"The first to bring together the importance of data, visuals, and narrative, this seminal work on telling stories with data is chock-full of examples founded on principles from Aristotle to story guru, Robert McKee. I can't wait to share Brent's book with my graduate students and colleagues!"
--Maria Massei-Rosato, Adjunct Professor, Parsons School of Design

"If you're tasked with presenting analytical results, then this book is a must-read. Brent discusses a wide range of research on how people communicate in general and then ties that research to specific actions you can take to put together an effective story in an analytics setting. The book does a great job of making the case that we often approach analytics presentations poorly and then showing us how to improve."
--Bill Franks, Author and Chief Analytics Officer, International Institute for Analytics

About the Author

BRENT DYKES brings a unique perspective to data storytelling that blends both qualitative and quantitative skills. Currently the Senior Director of Data Strategy at Domo, Brent has more than 15 years of experience in the analytics industry consulting with global brands such as Microsoft, Sony, Nike, and Amazon. He is a regular Forbes contributor and has published more than 100 articles on various data-related subjects, including two books on digital analytics. In 2016, Brent was awarded the "Most Influential Industry Contributor Award" from the Digital Analytics Association (DAA). He enjoys speaking at various data conferences around the world and working with organizations to advance their data cultures and data storytelling skills.