Data Storytelling

Most teams that work with data are good at analysis. They can pull a report, run a model, build a dashboard. The hard part comes after these things, when they have to communicate what they found in a way that changes something. That's where data storytelling comes in. What is data storytelling? Data storytelling is the practice of communicating data insights using narrative. It's how you explain what the numbers show—along with what to do about them. It sounds simple. But it'

Dashboards and data stories are often treated as interchangeable. They aren't, and using the wrong one for the wrong situation means the communication fails regardless of how well it's built.

The average is one of the most used numbers in business. It's also one of the most reliably misleading. Here's what it tends to hide, and why that matters for how you tell stories with data.

Most data teams are good at analysis. The harder part is communicating what they found in a way that stakeholders actually act on.

Data storytelling and data visualisation are often treated as the same thing. They aren't, and understanding the difference changes what your team builds, and whether it actually works.

Knowing who your audience is gets you started. Knowing what motivates them is what gets your data story acted on.

Most data professionals think about their audience after they've built something. The Stakeholder Matrix is a tool that shifts that thinking to where it belongs—before you start.

Most advice about data storytelling assumes a receptive audience. But that's not always the room you're in. Here's what helps when it isn't.

Most data stories fall flat because they're missing a layer of context. The PGAI Framework (Problem, Goal, Action, Impact) is a structured way to find it before you start communicating.

Most people working with data have access to more of it than they can meaningfully use. The result is paralysis. This five-step framework gives your analysis direction before you begin.