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So you want to uplift your data and analytics skills…

With data analytics, the potential to advance your career and turbocharge your contribution to your organization is obvious! So, how do you get started? Do you learn Python? Should you go back to basics and double down on math and statistics? Or, perhaps, you turn to expert data analysts and data scientists for their take on an essential new skill.

You might be surprised to find the answer a bit closer to home – the decision-makers in your organization. At StoryIQ, the number one frustration we consistently hear from our senior executive clients is that the insights from data analysis are not presented clearly, making data-informed decision-making clumsy at best and near-impossible at worst.

Maybe you can relate to their frustration. Have you seen a chart like this at your organization?

How would your senior executives interpret this, and how might it inform their decision-making? They might be aware of the general downward trend of rentals for BMWs, but the other lines clutter the insight. Ultimately, they would have to work too hard to interpret this chart.

What if we apply a few best practices and give the chart a “makeover?”

How much more confident would your senior executive feel using this chart to inform a decision? Simplifying the chart design and spelling out the takeaway makes life much easier for our audience. What we’ve done is called Data Storytelling.

Data Storytelling is the art of presenting data with clear, concise messaging supported by well-designed data visualizations.

Data Storytelling is such an essential skill because it blends the power of data analysis with what matters most to our audience – the takeaway. It doesn’t matter how brilliant our analysis is; if no one understands it, all of our hard work painstakingly gathering and analyzing data is for nothing.

So why is Data Storytelling such a logical starting point for your analytics education?

• You can learn the fundamentals of Data Storytelling in a day: with one day of training or self-study, you can transform your charts and reports, just like the before and after below.



• Data Storytelling immediately sets you apart in your career: Clear, crisp communication with data immediately stands out because it’s so rare. Your manager, your stakeholders, and your peers will notice that you’re making their lives easier.
• Data Storytelling is universally relevant: Who hasn’t needed to present a chart, explain a table, or write an email that’s backed by data? Unlike highly technical analytics skills, Data Storytelling is relevant across almost all industries and functions. Forbes Magazine even describes Data Storytelling as “The Essential Data Science Skill Everyone Needs.”
• Data Storytelling complements skills you and your peers already have: Most business professionals have at least some exposure to analysis and business writing, two skills critical to effective Data Storytelling. Because few people have consciously honed their Data Storytelling skills, it’s easy to organize training within your team or business unit, knowing you’re all at a similar enough skills level to enjoy and benefit from the session together.

With StoryIQ, you can learn the fundamentals of data storytelling in one day through our instructor-led workshops and our on-demand online course. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you might choose to go deeper into Data Storytelling and learn one of the following topics :

• Designing user-friendly and impactful dashboards
• Delivering effective and engaging live presentations
• Cultivating data literacy fundamentals
• Conducting analysis and solving problems in Excel
• Leveraging tools and frameworks by top-tier management consultants to solve business problems
  
  So you want to uplift your data and analytics skills? Data Storytelling is an easy and impactful place to start.

***Please note data used in this blog post is illustrative.