What does ‘data analysis’ make you think?
Most of us think it implies digging into spreadsheets, running scripts, and calculating using complex models. All these are hard skills.
Yes, you read that right.
However, they are of less significance without their soft-skill counterparts. In other words, it’s not enough to just analyze data for insights. You have to learn how to communicate the findings in a compelling and straightforward manner.
This is where data storytelling examples come in.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for data storytellers is expected to grow by 25% in 2022 and beyond. Many Fortune 500 companies have begun hiring data storytellers. In other words, they’re going for people who can communicate data stories in an articulate and persuasive manner.
Excel lacks ready-made and insightful charts for creating compelling and persuasive data stories.
You don’t have to do away with Excel. You can supercharge it with a particular add-in to access ready-made charts for data storytelling.
Before jumping to the blog’s core, we’ll address the following question: what is data storytelling?
Once your business has started collecting data, the next logical step is to extract insights.
Remember, your data may hold tremendous value, which can only be realized through visualization.
In a 2009 interview, Google’s Chief Economist said the following, “The ability to take data, be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to communicate it—that’s going to be a hugely important skill in the next coming years.”
Fast forward to now, and many of us agree with the economist’s statement over a decade ago.
The key emphasis of this blog lies in the following components, namely:
Data storytelling entails communicating insights from a dataset using narratives and charts. You can use stories to elicit buy-ins from the target audience (or readers).
And it attempts to close the gap between data and our communication.
It gets better.
Data storytelling examples build on the advantages of visualization to increase your understanding of raw data. Remember, insights can be presented in different ways like motion graphics, presentations, videos, interactive infographics, and charts.
There are 3 key components that build up the data stories.
Data serves as the backbone of your story.
Analyzing data using charts and graphs can help you extract insights for creating narratives that appeal to emotions.
A story weaves insights and context together to create an end product that the target audiences understand.
Charts and graphs act as the backdrop of the story. Besides, they act as a reference point and strengthen the credibility of the resulting insights.
We’ve been telling stories since the early civilizations to communicate and record life accounts. While storytelling has come a long way since the cave paintings era, its psychological power holds true multiple civilizations later. More so, we naturally love stories over pure numbers and texts because we can easily remember them.
Think about this for a minute.
When we hear a story, multiple parts of our brains are locked in, and they include
Rather than presenting hard data in tables, consider engaging multiple parts of the brains using stories.
Data storytelling can help you evoke an emotional response that can help your recommendations be remembered and acted upon.
In the ensuing section, we’ll take you through significant data storytelling skills that anyone needs.
You don’t want to miss this.
Below are some of the hard and soft skills you need to craft compelling data stories for your audience.
Successful data storytellers are empathetic.
Empathy means focusing on what other people feel and think.
Remember, understanding your audience’s point of view can help you determine the types of content aligned with their interests.
Combining data storytelling with business strategy is a crucial skill in today’s business landscape. Strategic thinking skills can help you envision the long-term impact of the resulting insights from your data.
Keep reading because, in the coming section, we’ll address the following question: why is data storytelling important?
As a firm that works with data frequently, we find numbers fascinating.
But not everyone shares that love. If you present your data in tables and spreadsheets, your audience will unlikely bulge. Even worse, you’re unlikely to achieve your goals after the presentation.
With storytelling, the impact becomes instant. And your audience will likely understand the value of the insights as they apply to real-life situations.
Data storytelling is a powerful tool that connects the dots and provides insight.
By assigning meaning and context to numbers in an Excel spreadsheet, you can easily create emotionally appealing content.
For your audience, storytelling is an effective way to differentiate your content, as people crave insights that:
By delivering data insights via stories, you provide a real service to the people you’re trying to reach, positioning you as a trusted resource.
To differentiate yourself from your competition, you need unique, narrative ideas. Yes. People need to hear new and fresh stuff. Clichés are all around us.
How do you do away with clichés?
Data analysis is one of the easiest ways to get these stories to keep your audience on edge. If you have proprietary data that no other brand has access to, you can tell a story that no one else can tell about your niche.
Below is survey data collected via a web survey.
Can you tell what are the key takeaways?
| Questions | Scale | Responses |
| Is our product price affordable? | 1 | 324 |
| Is our product price affordable? | 2 | 176 |
| Is our product price affordable? | 3 | 230 |
| Is our product price affordable? | 4 | 270 |
| Is our product price affordable? | 5 | 0 |
| Does our product help you achieve your goals? | 1 | 138 |
| Does our product help you achieve your goals? | 2 | 186 |
| Does our product help you achieve your goals? | 3 | 176 |
| Does our product help you achieve your goals? | 4 | 230 |
| Does our product help you achieve your goals? | 5 | 270 |
| Is the use of the product quite handy? | 1 | 0 |
| Is the use of the product quite handy? | 2 | 138 |
| Is the use of the product quite handy? | 3 | 186 |
| Is the use of the product quite handy? | 4 | 176 |
| Is the use of the product quite handy? | 5 | 500 |
| Will you recommend our product to your friends/family? | 1 | 5 |
| Will you recommend our product to your friends/family? | 2 | 100 |
| Will you recommend our product to your friends/family? | 3 | 146 |
| Will you recommend our product to your friends/family? | 4 | 116 |
| Will you recommend our product to your friends/family? | 5 | 420 |
Notice the difference after visualizing the survey data using the Likert Scale Chart below.
Below is a table that’s tracking the sales performance in previous versus current periods.
Here we’ll use a Progress Chart to tell the story of the data below.
| Month | Current | Previous |
| Jan | 20 | 10 |
| Feb | 60 | 40 |
| Mar | 70 | 50 |
| Apr | 30 | 70 |
| May | 80 | 90 |
| Jun | 50 | 30 |
| Jul | 80 | 40 |
| Aug | 90 | 100 |
| Sep | 50 | 30 |
| Oct | 90 | 70 |
| Nov | 50 | 40 |
| Dec | 80 | 70 |
Check out the final chart after visualizing the data.
The table below represents subject enrollments in a hypothetical school from Q1 to Q4.
In this section, we’ll use a Stacked Column Chart to display part-to-whole insights into the table below.
| Teacher | Class | Subjects | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| Abe | Grade-7 | Math | 20 | 20 | 50 | 85 |
| Abe | Grade-8 | Math | 15 | 40 | 20 | 45 |
| Abe | Grade-9 | Math | 25 | 20 | 20 | 60 |
| Bif | Grade-7 | Computer | 40 | 30 | 40 | 70 |
| Bif | Grade-8 | Computer | 20 | 20 | 15 | 40 |
| Bif | Grade-9 | Computer | 50 | 30 | 25 | 35 |
| Ann | Grade-7 | Arts | 20 | 20 | 15 | 20 |
| Ann | Grade-8 | Arts | 30 | 30 | 40 | 25 |
| Ann | Grade-9 | Arts | 50 | 20 | 20 | 15 |
Check out the final chart below.
In the coming section, we’ll show you how to create the best data storytelling graphs in Excel.
And you don’t want to miss this.
How to Create Best Data Storytelling Graphs in Excel? Keep reading to find another example.
The table below represents the attendance of employees in random months in a company.
In this section, we’ll use a Sunburst Chart to visualize the story of the table below.
| Analysis | Months | Name | Attendance |
| Attendance | June | Paul | 65 |
| Attendance | June | Clark | 76 |
| Attendance | June | Alan | 90 |
| Attendance | July | Paul | 75 |
| Attendance | July | Clark | 50 |
| Attendance | July | Alan | 70 |
| Attendance | March | Paul | 67 |
| Attendance | March | Clark | 80 |
| Attendance | March | Alan | 57 |
| Attendance | May | Paul | 67 |
| Attendance | May | Clark | 70 |
| Attendance | May | Alan | 85 |
To get started with ChartExpo in Excel, follow the steps below:
The 3 key components that build up the data stories, namely:
Data serves as the foundation of your data story.
A narrative weaves insights and context together to create a product that’s understandable to the desirable audiences.
Charts and graphs act as the backdrop of the story.
Yes, data storytelling is a critical skill that every professional should have.
And it entails communicating insights from a dataset using narratives and charts. You can use stories to elicit buy-ins from the target audience (or readers). It attempts to close the gap between data and our communication.
Most of us think data analysis implies digging into spreadsheets, running scripts, and calculating using complex models. All these are hard skills.
However, they are of less significance without their soft-skill counterparts. It’s not enough to just analyze data for insights. You must learn how to communicate the findings in a compelling and clear manner.
This is where data storytelling examples come in.
Many enterprise-scale companies have begun hiring data storytellers. In other words, they’re going for people who can communicate data stories in an articulate and persuasive manner.
Excel lacks ready-made and insightful charts for creating compelling and persuasive data stories. You don’t have to do away with Excel.
We recommend you install third-party apps, such as ChartExpo, to access ready-to-go and visually stunning Comparison Graphs, such as Radar.
ChartExpo is an Excel add-in loaded with insightful and ready-to-go Comparison Charts.
Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access ready-made charts and graphs for data storytelling.
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