As a business professional, data storytelling is an essential skill to have in today’s data-driven world. And if you’re looking to improve your data storytelling skills, look no further than the books “Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals” and “Storytelling with You” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic.
In “Storytelling with Data”, Knaflic provides a comprehensive guide on how to effectively use data visualisation to tell a story and communicate your message. From understanding your audience to simplifying your data, the book covers all the key aspects of data storytelling. One of the key takeaways from the book is the importance of understanding your audience. Before creating any visualisation, it is important to understand who your audience is and what message you want to communicate. This will help you to choose the appropriate visualisations and design elements that will effectively communicate your message.
Another important aspect of data storytelling is a simplification. With the vast amount of data available, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and include too much information in your visualisation. Knaflic stresses the importance of simplifying your data and only including the most important information. This will help to make your message clear and easy to understand.
In “Storytelling with You”, Knaflic builds on the concepts covered in “Storytelling with Data” by focusing on the importance of collaboration and how to effectively work with others to create compelling data stories. The book provides practical tips and strategies for collaborating with others and creating a data-driven culture within an organisation. One of the key takeaways from the book is the importance of involving all stakeholders in the data storytelling process. Involving stakeholders in the creation of data visualisations can help to build buy-in and support for data-driven decisions.
Overall, both books provide a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their data storytelling skills. Whether you’re a seasoned data professional or just starting out, the books provide practical tips and strategies for effectively communicating with data and working with others to create compelling data stories.
In “Storytelling with Data”, Knaflic also covers the importance of design and layout in data visualisation. The design and layout of visualisation can greatly impact the effectiveness of the message being communicated. Knaflic provides tips and best practices for creating visually appealing and easy-to-understand visualisations. In addition to providing practical tips, the book also covers the theoretical foundations of data visualisation such as cognitive psychology and perception which provides a deeper understanding of how the human brain processes visual information.
In “Storytelling with You”, Knaflic encourages readers to think beyond data visualisation and to focus on storytelling as a whole. The book also provides examples of different types of storytelling such as storyboarding and sketching which can be used to communicate data effectively. The book also explains the importance of storytelling in building a data-driven culture and how to effectively communicate data-driven insights with non-technical stakeholders.
Both books are written in a clear and concise manner and provide practical examples and case studies which makes it easy to understand and apply the concepts discussed. These books are not only great resources for data professionals, but also for anyone who wants to improve their data storytelling skills.
In conclusion, if you’re looking to improve your data storytelling skills, “Storytelling with Data” and “Storytelling with You” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic are must-reads. The books provide a comprehensive guide on how to effectively use data visualisation to tell a story and communicate your message, and also provide practical tips and strategies for collaborating with others and creating a data-driven culture within an organisation.
