How can you use data to tell emotional stories?

The definition of data here is quantitative data. What brings humanity to a story is qualitative data which includes interviews and people's experience. So if you want to use data to tell an emotional story, you can start with a relevant fact but then add the experiences that make people feel empathy.

Whether the emotion to be delivered is positive or negative, the audience will not be able to relate to 'absolute data.' Presenters have to compare the data to everyday items such as: "that's 2 meals a day for the rest of the year" "that's almost 1 in every family," etc. That instantaneously creates an image in the listener to generate empathy.

Choosing the right data to incorporate into your story can add an emotional layer. For example, if you're sharing a story about a new cybersecurity product that your company is offering, you might use data to show how companies can use this tool to protect their customers' data. Ultimately, pulling on emotional triggers of your target audience. While this is just one general example of how data could be used in storytelling to add an emotional layer, there are many other ways and scenarios where you can do this. If you're unsure, examine your audience and ideate about the types of data they'd be emotionally invested in.

1. Pick powerful data: Not all numbers are created equal! Choose info that backs up your story's main idea and makes sense to your audience. It should be interesting and add something special to your tale. 2. Keep it clear and concise: Avoid info that's too hard to understand or goes against your story. If it's confusing or boring, it might take away from the emotional impact. 3. Surprise and inspire: Look for data that's unexpected, important to your story, or leaves a lasting impression. This will grab your audience's attention and make them feel something.

The presentation of data is SUPER important. I have seen countless presentations with excel files full of data - so lots of information - but it doesn't say anything. Ensure that you are showing the outcome of the data ... what does it mean and why is it important in this particular context.

Paint a Picture. Graphs, charts, and infographics can make data more accessible and engaging. Imagine a line graph showing the rise in homelessness over the years. Pair it with photographs and stories of individuals affected to create a powerful emotional connection. Using visuals to highlight key points and trends can evoke an emotional response.

Love it. Data is the wood, drywall and paint that makes the wall, but it’s the height marks of children each year on the wall that make the story and bring the emotion to life.

Picture this: data brought to life in vibrant hues, captivating shapes, and dynamic patterns. Visualizations transcend the realm of numbers, transforming abstract concepts into tangible realities. Through graphs, charts, and infographics, data becomes a work of art, engaging both the analytical mind and the creative spirit. Visual storytelling invites audiences on a journey of discovery, where insights leap off the page and into the heart.

Data alone is not enough to tell emotional stories. You also need to add context and emotion to your data. Context helps you explain why the data matters, what it means, and how it relates to your story. Emotion helps you evoke feelings, reactions, or responses from your audience.

The biggest thing in terms of turning data into an emotional story is making it specific and vivid. So often, we try to drive a point home by emphasizing figures instead of humans. When it's a specific person in a specific situation... we feel more. When we can see it and hear it, we'll feel it more.

When we want to use data to tell emotional stories then we have to look beyond & behind numbers. Who are the people that are getting impacted from those numbers, and the best way to do that is delve deeper and pick up 1 or 2 individuals with different stories and share their stories. Putting a face to the numbers helps your audience empathize and connect emotionally. Share the status quo and then how the change in data brought in transformation in their life’s. This could involve starting with a problem or challenge, building tension, and resolving it with a hopeful or inspiring conclusion. And while sharing these stories, highlight the emotion to connect with the audience. Power of comparison is also a great way to bring numbers to life.

I love to pair empathy data in storytelling. Empathy shows you care. Data backs it up with a proof point. This approach helps you reach both logical/rational thinkers and emotional thinkers since it engages both sides of our brain.

Provide context and background information to help your audience understand the significance and relevance of the data. Incorporate personal anecdotes, testimonials, or quotes to humanize the data and evoke empathy and emotional connection.

Data and Emotional Impact can work hand in hand. Use the data to touch the rationale, and the emotion to touch the heart. Bring in additional and pure emotion based stories to support the data, it could be an example of what the data might lead to. Today is a great example of that ... world earth day .. data will show the impacts, but emotions will win the hearts of people to make a change.

One of the most important things I've found in transforming data into stories, is the importance of focusing on one insight at a time. Just because a data set tells multiple stories doesn't mean letting the audience know that all at once is the best approach. Instead, we need to focus in on one insight we can extract from the data... and then once everyone is on board and has internalized that, you move onto the next one and so on.

Learning how to leverage data to tell emotional stories really involves humanizing statistics and making numbers relatable. This boils down to simplifying the data and focusing it into the goal emotion you want to convey. You can start by identifying narratives within the data—personal anecdotes, triumphs, or challenges. Use visuals to strategically emphasize the key points, and incorporate real-life stories, examples, or testimonials to add a human touch. Highlight the impact of the data for your audience by focusing on individuals or communities, that they can relate to. By connecting data to authentic, real-life human experiences, you will create emotionally resonant stories that captivate and engage your audience.

In the cacophony of information overload, simplicity is our guiding star. Streamline your narrative, distilling complex data into digestible insights. Focus on the essentials, amplifying the signal amidst the noise. Through clarity and conciseness, we invite our audience to embark on a journey of discovery without feeling overwhelmed, ensuring that our message resonates loud and clear.

Crafting compelling narratives with data involves a strategic approach. Begin by pinpointing key takeaways and locating relevant supporting data. This is where simplicity is key; avoid unnecessary complexity. Stick to a clean, concise story that aligns with your goal, backed by credible data. This straightforward approach gives your audience something to easily grasp on to.

Find the people behind the statistics. If you're reporting on a stat about the percentage of the workforce that is unhappy with return-to-office mandates, ask the reader first to imagine someone in a scenario that might make that true. "Imagine you're the solo caregiver for an aging parent, and you've moved out of the city center to be close to their twice-weekly dialysis appointments. You've successfully worked remotely for close to 3 years, but suddenly you're being asked to return to the office 3 days a week. Like 68% of Americans being asked the same thing, you wouldn't be pleased."

Use storytelling techniques such as narrative structure, character development, and plot progression to weave the data into a compelling and cohesive story. Frame the data within a narrative arc that captures the audience's attention, builds suspense, and elicits emotional reactions.

My go-to example when teaching leaders about how to marry data and story is the Cost of Beauty: Dove Film as part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qc6QjfJyc&t=44s Dove shows how to do it in three important steps. 1) Centralize and tell the story of one individual facing the challenge your data highlights. Their story puts a human face to your data. 2) Tell a composite story of many others who also face the same challenge your data speaks to. You don't have to go in-depth into their stories. They are there to show that your first story is not singular but one of many. 3) Present your data. This is where the statistics come in. They mean more now because they represent real people.

At the heart of every great data-driven narrative lies a story waiting to be told. Stories transcend time and space, weaving together the threads of past, present, and future. Through characters, conflicts, and resolutions, data transforms into a powerful narrative arc, igniting emotions and driving action. By harnessing the timeless power of storytelling, we invite our audience to join us on a journey of exploration, enlightenment, and transformation.

Follow a 6 layered structure - I share here my unique storytelling model - the sprout model. 1. Impact - choose the desired impact/s that you wish your storytelling to make 2. People - know your audience and how you want to make them feel 3. Start Point - Set the context and direction 4. Main Event - create eh opt/challenge and action 5. End Point - bring clarity and conclusion 6. Nurture - ensure your stay is filled with creativity, perspective and of course ..data!

There is a contradiction in this premise: the science suggests you can't use data to tell an emotional story. All the research (usually on charities) suggests that a story on its own is more powerful than the data alone or the even the data story. The argument is that, by using data, we turn on the analytical part of the brain, which can counter the emotional "side." The best approach then would be to tell the story on its own, but make it about one data point - most likely a person - that is representative of the rest of the data. So the story is not proving anything, just explaining it in a more relatable and engaging way. Then, and only then, you can bring in the data to contextualise and scale the issue.

Lay out your storytelling into a structure. Doing this first will then allow you to identify where the right timing and placement will be for your data inclusion within your storytelling. Data will be there to enhance your storytelling outcome - the story might not necessarily be about the data. So just make sure you gauge the right balance.

Blend facts with feelings to find the right balance in your story. Start with the data to ground your story in reality, then weave in emotional elements to make it relatable and compelling. E.g. Begin with a startling statistic about climate change, but quickly transition into a narrative about a community affected by rising sea levels, focusing on personal losses and triumphs. Data and emotions might seem like polar opposites, but when combined effectively, they can create powerful, impactful narratives.

Tell the story of the experience and let the data/numbers scale the story for you. Jim, before going to school, goes outside and has to pump water. After 10 minutes of pumpiing he notices the well is dry. His unfortunate alternative is to walk to his neighbors house and ask them for a glass. He stumbles upon them in the street while they were walking towards his house. Apparently, they were going to ask him for the same favor. Data Point: X amount of children in Region Y don't have steady access to drinkable water.

Beyond the data lies a world of possibilities waiting to be explored. Consider the voices unheard, the perspectives unseen, and the stories untold. Embrace diversity and inclusivity, amplifying marginalized voices and shedding light on overlooked narratives. Challenge assumptions, question conventions, and push the boundaries of storytelling innovation. In the vast landscape of data storytelling, there are endless horizons to explore, each offering new insights, new connections, and new opportunities for emotional resonance.