In November, we hosted Senior Systems Analyst and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Joe Perez at the Frontier to hear about Data Storytelling. Here’s what we learned from Dr. Joe at our On the Menu program:
Actionable data is information that can be acted upon by decision makers. All actionable data does at least one of three things—leads to a decision, answers a question or solves a problem. To make sure that your data achieves this, you’ll need to follow the five stages of the spectrum that Dr. Joe shared with us.
Conception: Start the race
- This is where the idea is born and you articulate what you want to share. You’ll need to have a strong understanding of your audience and your data.
Inception: Make the case
- This is when you advocate for the idea you came up with. Visual communication is powerful and can assist you in this step. (graphs, pie charts, etc.)
Perception: Motivate the base
- This is your chance to educate your audience in hopes that they take ownership of the idea. People can’t support what they do not understand.
Inspection: Give it some space
- In this stage of the process, you’ll need to ask yourself, “does this stand up to scrutiny?”
- It’s your chance to investigate your information from the perspective of a user.
Direction: Put it into place
- Lastly, it’s time to effectuate: how will you deliver your visualized data? This will depend on the platforms your audience interacts with the most. You may choose to share it via LinkedIn or other social media, or in a presentation slide for a live talk.
In the words of Data Storyteller, Spencer E. Sobczak, “Data storytelling is both an art and a science. Our data visualizations are the most powerful when they find this balance.”
If you enjoy learning new skills, hearing fresh perspectives and meeting likeminded individuals then On the Menu is for you. Thanks to Alta Davis, this program is brought to you every month featuring a new topic. Check out our programming calendar to stay up to date!