Latest / Black Girls Consult TOO! / Episode 92: Mastering the Art of Data Storytelling for Business Success

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Episode 92: Mastering the Art of Data Storytelling for Business Success · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: There's a misconception that we don't exist, that somehow our ability to excel at the highest level of our industry is limited, that overcoming barriers as a woman of color would be insurmountable.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: But what would happen if we decided to venture out on our own, despite everything we're up against?
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 podcast.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, a healthcare consultant, consulting coach, high performance fanatic wife and proud girl mom.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I help transform female professionals into thriving solo consultants and, just like you, I'm wearing all the hats and doing all the things.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: So this podcast is to empower the busy female professionals to move past fear to start and grow a successful consulting business.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Despite the obstacles you may encounter.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: We'll dive deep into consulting practice, business strategy, mindset and more.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: So grab your cup of coffee or tea, if that's your thing, and let's get started.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello, hello.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 podcast.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and today we're going to talk about data storytelling.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Now, this is an episode that I pulled from the vault from a while back, has been a long time, but is still very, very relevant today, especially when we're thinking about communicating our message and the outcomes of our work and we're using data to convey that message, to convey those outcomes.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: It's important that we know how to tell a story with it.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: We need to know how to show people the impact of the work that we've done and be able to communicate that effectively and get them engaged in what we are saying and what we're bringing to the table.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: So in this episode, I dive into all of that and I hope that it will help you craft a better presentation, a better pitch and just a better discussion overall.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: When it comes to the data around your business, those metrics, those numbers, those things that we often hate we're going to simplify it all today.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: A thriving consulting business is built on a solid business foundation and a consulting code that leads you toward your ideal business and your ideal lifestyle.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: And the great thing about this code is that it works for any type of consulting practice, whether you help clients with professional development, business management, grant writing, it or something entirely different.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: This consulting code is not rocket science and is not beyond your reach, and when you crack the code, it can jumpstart the growth of your solo consulting practice and is what you need to know to get started and lend your first clients, and nothing more.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: This is a step by step process I wish I had so many years ago, and that's why I wanted to share this with you and how you can do this too.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: So if you're interested in starting your consulting business and creating a desirable offer, to generate leads for your offer and to make sales, then the consulting code is your solution.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Visit wwwexcelatconsultingcom for more information.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: So I think this is going to be a great conversation, mainly because who doesn't love numbers?
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: I know a lot of people don't love numbers.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, a lot of people complain about numbers, but that's really because, at first glance, numbers seem to be very, very boring.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: However, there's a reason why data analysis has really taken off in recent years.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: It's because numbers actually tell a story.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Numbers can help us.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: In this particular case, numbers can actually help us win more business as a consultant.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, so I'm interested to know when was the last time that you looked at a graph or a table or some other type of infographic and you really didn't know what to make of it?
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: It just seemed like a lot of numbers, bars, maybe pie graphs, a lot of stuff, and you felt a little lost.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: You didn't know what it meant Didn't really care because, after all, it just wasn't adding up for you.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Oftentimes, that's how we are meeting data.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: We are meeting data in a manner where it doesn't really resonate, we're not connected to it, we are not following along with the story.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: We don't really understand the purpose, or if we have an idea or some type of small inkling as to whether or not it is going to help us or if it has any type of purpose, it still is not clearly outlined.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: So we walk away with a give or take when it comes to whether or not we will use the data that we have just seen or if we are going to even continue to follow along with the presentation and in more depth.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Data actually matters because it can tell a story, but if we don't know how to tell that story, then we're shooting ourselves in the foot.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: That's one of the reasons why data storytelling has become so big, especially when it comes to aspects of marketing.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Data storytelling is, by definition, a very structured approach for communicating data insights.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: This structure is created by using three elements, and the three elements are data Makes sense, right, you need the numbers, so data is one, followed by your visuals as well as your narrative.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: These elements are very important because the goal of you utilizing data storytelling is to engage your audience.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: You want to engage them in the story.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: You want to get them to care about the numbers you're trying to show them that you're trying to present, and oftentimes, why many of our presentations or the data that we provide, while it often falls flat, is because there is a lack of effective communication that surrounds the data, so people leave lost and confused, and our goal is not to have that happen.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: You really want to gain the ability to persuade key stakeholders to use the data that you've been able to compile or generate for their growth and for their progress, and that all works to your advantage, because that's what's going to help you to increase the perception of the return on investment that you're able to deliver, as well as influence your clients and to show them that your work is valuable, and we can do that through this whole concept of data storytelling.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: So I want to share three steps that you can take right now to improve your data storytelling for your next big presentation or proposal or pitch, because it's my hope that by using this method, you'll be able to convincingly outline your return on investment or really compel your potential clients to take action and go ahead and accept your proposal or to sign that contract.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: I think that we can accomplish all of that if we're able to do a better job of telling the story associated with our data.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: So the first thing is that you want to identify your audience.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: Identifying your audience is so important.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: Like any other presentation, you are going to frame the data that you're providing in its proper context by understanding who you are talking to.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: What you may convey to someone who is very detached from the work that you do but may be a key decision maker in the process, that story or that information that you're providing is going to look very different than someone who is an expert in that area and more intimately involved in the work, who may understand the information at a higher level.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Those conversations are completely different and the way that you want to tell the story with the data is going to also be very different for those individuals.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: So when you're thinking about your audience, you have to first know who you are talking to.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Are you talking to major contributors to the work?
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  Speaker 1: Are you talking to individuals who are experts in that particular area and extremely knowledgeable and want to see the depth and nuances associated with the data in the work?
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: Or are you talking to someone who is loosely attached or maybe not very much engaged in that work, but need to have some concept or some idea of what's going on in order to stay abreast with the work, so that they are at least knowledgeable in regards to how these processes are functioning in their organization or how money is being spent?
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: That audience is going to matter, so you have to know who they are.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: You also want to understand their level of involvement, because that's going to help you to craft that narrative and talk about some of the things that we're going to discuss in more depth in a moment.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: But really understanding their level of involvement is going to help you structure your message.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Your messaging has to speak to what they are trying to accomplish and what they want to utilize the data and the information for.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: You also want to know who are your decision makers.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Those are the ones that you need to really prioritize when you're messaging.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Knowing who the key decision makers are in the room will help you to zone in on the type of data that they want to see, what they want to see communicated and how you can more effectively present that information.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: And, last but not least, you want to have an understanding of what the audience actually understands or knows at their baseline.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: It goes back to what I was mentioning before about determining who is the expert in the room, because that is going to help you identify how in depth that you need to be and go into the numbers and to the data in order to communicate your message.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: So, once again, the first thing that you want to do is identify your audience.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: Now, after you've identified your audience, that's when you can move on to really really working on crafting your story.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: That is number two.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: You have to craft your story Now.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: When I say craft your story, I do not mean make up data.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: We are not making up data.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: We are not making up a story.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: We are simply thinking about how we want to communicate the fact that we have seen and that we now know to be true and be the case, based upon the data we've been able to generate or the data we've been able to compile.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Think about how you can actually put these numbers, put this data into its proper context.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: That's really the name of the game, because if not, it's going to fall flat, because the listener is not going to know how to conceptualize the data that you're presenting.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: They're not going to know how they should interpret that information.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: And if they don't know how to interpret it, if you're not guiding them in that process, then you're leaving it up to them to do the interpretation, which means that they're either not going to do it at all or they're going to interpret it possibly in a way that is not accurate or maybe not favorable for you.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: So you want to put this all in proper context the art of crafting a story.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: When it comes to data storytelling is really thinking about your numbers as words.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: What is the story that your numbers are trying to tell?
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: Do you see a trend that has occurred?
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: Are you trying to communicate an improvement that has been made?
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: Maybe you want to show how, initially, you started in the negative but then ended in the positive.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: There are a number of outcomes that can come from the work that we do.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: There are a number of ways that we can look at data that we're generating to determine baseline of the history of where a client has been and where they have maybe missed the mark in some areas, or maybe in some areas where they've even achieved but maybe fallen short.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: There are a lot of ways that we can do that.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: So I want to ask for you to determine what is the most important message that I need to communicate in this moment, and then how can I use the data and the numbers that I have to communicate that message?
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: That's your goal.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Your goal is to utilize the numbers to communicate your message.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: It's kind of like thinking about turning numbers into words.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: That's really what you're doing.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: You're turning numbers into words.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: You're turning something that most people see as scary, most people don't understand or most people just don't like.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: Maybe there's some gravitate to numbers, the same way that others do.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: You're turning that into words that we use every day, and so that means that when you're doing this, when you're crafting your story, you want to make sure that the narrative that you're conveying is conveyed in a manner where anyone can understand this meaning.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Break it down to a simplest form.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: Keep it simple.
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  Speaker 1: You don't want someone to need an advanced degree in mathematics or statistics to be able to understand what you're talking about.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: You have to put it in a simplest form in order for it to truly resonate with every member in your audience, and remember the more people that actually resonate with your message, the more people that understand the data that you're presenting, the more buy-in you're going to likely have in your work, in your services and in your ability to generate transformative change.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: That is our goal, and so, when we're thinking about numbers and we're thinking about the data that we are utilizing to communicate an outcome or to paint a picture, we have to be very strategic in how we are developing that message, and so that is the art of crafting your story.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: Don't take that lightly.
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: Really spend time understanding what you want to communicate, based on the real data and the real facts that you have in front of you.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: So, once again, we are not this is not crafting or making up an imaginary tale.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: We're not doing that.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: We're taking what we have as real data, as facts, as hard and fast knowledge, and we are using that to outline, spell out what has occurred and what can potentially occur in the future.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: That's what we're doing, and so a couple of tidbits here is to make sure that you keep the message simple, make sure that you are putting it in proper context, make sure that you are also putting your information in the proper sequencing so that the potential client can follow the story, so that your clients can follow along with you.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: Now the third step is to develop your compelling visuals.
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: If you notice, I didn't start with visuals.
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: I think that's.
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: One of the biggest misconceptions that people have is that they gather all their numbers and then they start making graphs and tables and figures, and so they're jumping right from generating the data to outlining it in some type of visual presentation, and I will argue that that is not the best approach.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: One of the reasons why that's not the best approach is that you have not given any thought at that point as to what story you're trying to tell, or what your audience will be or who you're trying to reach, and without those first two things, it's gonna be very difficult for you to, on your first try, develop visuals that really make sense.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: So, instead of developing visuals and then going back and trying to adjust and edit and modify to fit a new narrative or a new story, the easier thing to do is to already have an idea as to what your story is going to be and what you wanna communicate, and then move forward with developing your visuals, because those visuals actually take a lot of time and it is very disheartening to spend a lot of time developing compelling visuals or I should rather say just developing visuals that you then have to redo in order to ensure that they resonate and that they meet the needs of your presentation document or whatever you're using this information for when you're thinking about how to create compelling visuals.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: First and foremost, it has to be pleasing to the eye.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: We know that your visuals have to be pleasing to the eye.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: They have to look good, y'all they have to look good.
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: So we don't want to overlook the importance of how pretty they need to be.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: You know, when I say pretty, I'm saying that loosely, but they do need to look nice.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: Your visuals need to look nice.
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: They need to be pleasing to the eye.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: Aside from that, ensure that your visuals are actually simple.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: So I've been to presentations I'm sure you have too where their visuals are very complicated and complex and there are numbers and lines everywhere and all kinds of arrows pointing and text emerging, and in those situations it's overwhelming.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: It is overwhelming and I guarantee you, unless you are fixated and focused on really communicating this message to one expert in the room, it's going to be very difficult for you to find an audience where that is going to generally resonate with.
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: The simpler the better.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: A simple message is easier to communicate.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: A simple message with numbers is necessary to communicate effectively.
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: So you want to make sure that you're keeping your visuals rather simple.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: Additionally, try and limit the message that you're communicating per visual.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: Don't try and tie in a number of stories into one table or graphic.
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: Really think long and hard about how you want to use this one grab or one table to communicate part of the story.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Remember that the data that you're generating and the data storytelling that you're doing may be comprised of a number of visuals.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: You don't have to communicate your entire story in one visual.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: You can utilize a number of visuals.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: What you want to do, and what will be very helpful to your end, is to consider limiting your messaging to one message, one simple message per graph or table, a figure, whatever that visual will be, and then remembering also to make sure that you're varying the style of the visual throughout your presentation.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Nothing's worse than to open up a slide deck and see a ton of bar graphs or a ton of line graphs with no variation.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: That is boring.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: It is boring.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: You will bore your audience.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Numbers are already hard to digest and you're putting another layer on that that's going to make them fall asleep even faster.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: So don't do that.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: Try your best to vary the style of the graphic that you're using or the visual that you're using in your presentation so that it adds some level of interest.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: You want to draw them into the story that you're telling.
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: You want to get them to pay attention.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: You want them to follow along on this journey, and in order to do that, you have to make it fun.
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: Right, you have to make it fun to follow the story.
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: You have to make it interesting, and varying the style of the visuals that you're utilizing is going to help you do that.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: And then, last but not least, just do me a favor and ensure that you are presenting your data in the proper order.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: No one wants to bounce around.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: The minute you start bouncing around from one visual to the next when you're telling your story, I can guarantee you that will be the fastest way to lose your audience.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: They will get lost.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: No one has a time to connect the dots.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: Your purpose, the whole premise of data storytelling, is connecting the dots for other people.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: You are connecting the dots, so don't create your visuals in a manner that makes you jump around.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: You shouldn't be jumping around.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: In your presentation or in your storytelling.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: You want that to be something that follows a set order.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: You're telling the life of the data.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: You're showing them how the data evolved, how you solved the problem hopefully you're the superhero solving the problem in that instance how you helped to guide the Russia, rather, say, in solving that problem.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: That is how you want to approach your visuals.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: In order for them to be compelling, they have to resonate, they have to get home, they have to mean something, they have to communicate a clear message.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: But when you keep it simple, when you limit your messaging, buy a visual or graphic, remember to vary the style and keep it in order I guarantee you that you will create compelling visuals that your audience will definitely enjoy.
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: So just to recap a bit, there are three steps that you can take to improve your data storytelling.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: You can do this right away.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: The first thing is that you want to identify your audience.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: You want to know who you're talking to.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: After that, you want to then craft your story.
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: Think about the narrative that you are trying to tell.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: What is your message?
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: What do you want your audience to learn?
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: And then, third, utilize compelling visuals or develop compelling visuals.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: Those visuals will help to piece all of this together visually, so that you are able to touch every type of learner that may be in your audience.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: You're able to clearly communicate a message and guess what?
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: You're able to sell your services because they shine.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: You want the data to make you shine and, with a little practice, I am sure that data storytelling is going to be the solution for you.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: All right, guys.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this episode.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: Until next time, you guys, take care.
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: Happy data storytelling Bye-bye.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast.
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple Podcast, subscribe and share it with a friend.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting, and you can help us do that Also.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and don't forget to visit excelatconsultingcom for more information to support your consulting journey.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Until next time, take care.