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Data Story-Telling - Narratives from Data

"Data is the new oil" - The Economist, May 2017

In this data age, the ability to extract value from data is a highly sought after by both individuals and organizations. While data analytics is often associated with hard skills such as database management, programming and statistics; hard skills alone are not enough. It requires the right mix of soft skills to contextualize the problem, make sense of the analysis and communicate it in a concise, coherent and compelling fashion to drive action.

This is one of a series of three one-day online workshops. Each workshop is modular in nature, addressing different aspects along the analytics value chain.

• Data Analysis - a 1-day workshop that focuses on the technical aspects of mining data for objective insights
• Data Visualization - a 1-day workshop that focuses on presenting data in accessible forms to get the right message across using data visualizations
• Data Storytelling - a 1-day workshop that focuses on presenting analyses and proposals in a concise, coherent, and compelling fashion to facilitate decision-making

About this workshop

This workshop aims to provide a broad but practical overview of the entire analytics value chain; with a specific focus on building & telling a compelling story to an audience. Many great analyses fail to realize their potential by falling short in the "last mile" of value; more specifically, how to tell a concise, coherent, and compelling story from the data to drive decisions and actions. This workshop seeks to build these often-overlooked capabilities in the "last mile" of value in analytics; which include, how to glean pivotal messages from data, how to structure and tell a data story that makes an audience care. This workshop aims to address such capability gaps; especially for professionals and managers who have some experience with analysis; but are finding some challenges in making an impact in the "last mile" of value in analytics.

Objective

By the end of this course, the participants would be able to:

• Understand what data analytics is, and the key ingredients for sustainable analytics
• Understand the analytics value and the part that effective communications with data plays in delivering the "last mile" of value
• Understand the key principles behind developing and telling a concise, coherent, and compelling story from the data
• Gain practical data storyboarding skills through a structured approach in the application through a case exercise
• Translate the data storyboard in the case exercise into a presentation deck that tells a concise, coherent, and compelling story.

Outline

1. What is Data Analytics?

• A general introduction of the concept of analytics; including the general applications and the potential of analytics to inform, explain and guide decision making
• Case studies - See how some notable organizations have successfully deployed analytics to great effect (Walmart, Target, Google etc.)
• Foundations for sustainable analytics - understand what it takes to build analytics capabilities

2. The Analytics Value Chain and role of Data Visualization and Communication

• The analytics value chain
• It takes more than just data to deliver value in analytics; it takes the right combination of hard and soft data skills; particularly the soft skills in interpreting the analytical outcomes in the right context

3. Principles of Storytelling with data

• Finding the conclusions and key messages from analysis
• Leveraging frameworks to structure the story into a storyboard
• Finding the right balance to tell a concise, coherent and compelling story
• How to make the audience care and achieve the intended objectives

4. Structure of a good Data Storyboard: Telling a Persuasive Story

• Opening Act (Emotional)
• Main Act (Analytical)
• Concluding Act (Finish with a Dagger)

5. Class Exercise: Building a Story board using a Case Study based on given charts and analysis

6. Class Exercise: Translating the Story board into a concise, coherent and compelling story using MS PowerPoint

Who should attend

This workshop is designed for managers, professionals and staff at all levels who want to learn make a bigger impact with their analysis and data story telling. The course is suitable for participants across all industries and job functions. Participants are required to have basic MS Excel and Powerpoint skills; some prior knowledge of data analytics would be helpful.

Methodology

FYT takes a practical approach to analytics, and therefore the workshop emphasizes practical analytic skills through learning of key principles and analytics skills. A combination of lectures and hands on exercises are designed to enable participants to acquire those practical skills. This workshop utilises MS Excel and PowerPoint for the computer-based exercises.

Testimonials

"The different ways of data visualisation and the thinking process behind framing the problem and choosing the data to be collected allowed me to see how a data'-driven decision can be achieved. I am very impressed by how this can benefit me in my future presentations."

"Excellent. Have a good experience to build the storyboard and slicers which I have never known before"

"It is a practical training that I can apply to work especially techniques of how to deliver a message..."

Particular of Jeremy Poon

Jeremy has more than 30 years of commercial and professional experience, which include leadership roles across many sectors and geographies; such as telecommunication, hospitality MICE and government across Asia Pacific.

Prior to joining FYT, he led the application of the MVNO license with IDA for a large multinational company and worked with command, control & communication solutions.

Jeremy consults and leads engagements to help clients build analytics capabilities in their organizations. He brings his broad & extensive experience and makes the topic come to life with realistic examples and practical applications.

Jeremy has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Electronics from the National University of Singapore as well as a Certified Associated from the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP).