Susan Moore, whose global work and results were published in the book, Wake Me Up When the Data is Over, has held senior management positions with Microsoft and Eastman. Elissa Fink is the Senior Vice President of Tableau Software. Together, these two dynamic business leaders addressed the fundamental shift in how we see and process data.

1. You cannot open a book
Y t b k
without learning something.
– Confucius
Telling a Great
T lli G t
Story With Data
Susan Moore
Elissa Fink

2. Providing Facts to Management
Can Be a Big Job to Navigate
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3. Why Story?
Makes sense and order
Sees the whole where there are
disparate parts
Gives vision to what the future can look like
Is interactive – people p themselves
p p put
into stories
3

4. What Is a Good Story?
A good story involves Characters
Challenge iis b li
Ch ll believable
bl
There are Hurdles to overcome
Outcome or prognosis is clear
4

5. A Story Has Emotion
5

6. Often,
Often Presenting Data
≠ Good Story
Monthly Presentation of Results
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7. Why?
Too often, We Create
the Presentation Before
We Know the Story
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8. The Presentation or The Story?
Is This Really Just
“Sales by Region”?
“West Region Growing By Leaps & Bounds”?
Sales by Region
30%
25%
20%
15% Last Period
10% This Period
5%
0%
East Midwest South West
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9. When Crafting a
Data-Rich Story…
Get the Story First: Explore the Data
What Are the Findings?
Determine What You Want People to Do
as a Result
Finally, Write Out the “Story Board” for
Your Audience
The more senior your audience = fewer slides
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10. This?
10
10/21/2008

11. Or This?
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10/21/2008

12. Be Authentic
Authentic…
Your Story will Flow
What Makes It Believable For Your
Audience?
Start with metaphor, urban legend or
anecdote.
Develop with data. Authenticity is rooted
data
in facts. Facts are rooted in data.
Supplement hard data with qualitative data.
• Sample customer emails
• Audio/video clips of competitor activity
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13. Be Visual –
You Are the Film Editor
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14. NY Times Example
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/15
/business/20080916-treemap-graphic.html
link
next
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15. NY Times Example
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16. This?
16

17. Or This?
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18. Make It Easy
for You and Your Audience
Telling a story should be simple and
direct recall and action will be that
much stronger
No hoop jumping
State 2-3 key issues and how they
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relate to your audience
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19. This?
19

20. Or This?
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21. How You Invite Discussion
Identify yourself – share something
about yourself
Limit it to 3 key points on crafting your story
Focus on highlighting what the
audience needs
Invite them to continue the discussion:
Blogs
Intranets
Discussion Boards
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22. Be Ready for Interactivity
Creative ways to access and interact
with the data
Anticipate questions
Can you be “real-time” with
your answers?
“Real-time” examples
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23. I hear and I forget.
ea a d o ge .
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
– Confucius
Questions
Resources
National Storytelling Network www.storynet.org
Perceptual Edge www.perceptualedge.com
g g
Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
Examples www.tableausoftware.com/examples
Contact
Susan – sjmooremarketing@gmail.com
Elissa – efink@tableausoftware.com
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