storytelling with data podcast

When in DC recently, Cole visited the Urban Institute to talk with Jon Schwabish, author of Better Presentations and editor of the soon-to-be-released book, Elevate the Debate. Tune in to hear them discuss the importance of meeting people where they are, the Pyramid Philosophy for ensuring communications are rooted in sophisticated analysis, plus presentation tips on where to start, incremental slide improvements, and finishing touches. Giving a presentation is like selling an idea—it’s a skill that must be learned and Jon shares ways we can improve our own work and influence those around us.

LINKS:

Pre-order: Elevate the Debate

Book: Better Presentations

Follow Jon: @jschwabish | www.policyviz.com | Jon’s collection of warning signs

Learn more about the Urban Institute

People mentioned: Kim Rees, Andy Kirk, Ann Emery, Hans Rosling, Nancy Duarte, Dave Connell, Charles Schwab, RJ Andrews

Image resources: Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay

Backstage at the Tableau Conference, Cole sat down with the three authors of The Big Book of Dashboards for a lively conversation. Listen to their chat about the conference, their book, and more—including Jeff’s six design tips, Steve’s goal of creating the greatest degree of understanding with the least amount of effort, and Andy’s view on the role of culture and what organizations should do before investing in a dashboarding tool to help ensure success.

LINKS:

Book: The Big Book of Dashboards

Follow Andy: @acotgreave | www.gravyanecdote.com

Follow Jeff: @HighVizAbility | www.dataplusscience.com

Follow Steve: @datarevelations | www.datarevelations.com 

From graphs made with electric tape and exacto knives at NASA to CEO of a renowned Silicon Valley communications firm—in this episode, Cole talks with best-selling author Nancy Duarte about her new book, DataStory, and related topics. Tune in to hear about Nancy’s hunt for unicorns, why bridging the chasm between exploration and explanation is good for your career, and the Duarte magic that turned thousands of slides into three simple graphs.

Show Links:

Follow Nancy: @nancyduarte | duarte.com

New book: DataStory 

Other books: Resonate | Illuminate | Slide:ology | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations

If good graphs empower us to pose good questions, what happens on the dark side of data viz? In this episode, Cole talks with Alberto Cairo about his new book, How Charts Lie. Their conversation delves into how information designers and consumers are both to blame as well as how mindfulness relates to chart making and interpretation. Tune in also to hear tips to keep from spreading misinformation, why “essay” is a beautiful word, and Alberto’s optimism for the future of data visualization.

LINKS:

Order How Charts Lie

Follow Alberto: albertocairo.com | @albertocairo

Book: Factfulness (Rosling)

Book: For Argument’s Sake (Stafford)

Book: How to Lie with Maps (Monmonier)

Book: Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) (Tavris & Aronson)

Book: Naked Statistics (Wheelan)

Book: Picturing the Uncertain World (Wainer)

Book: The Enigma of Reason (Mercier & Sperber)

Book: The Righteous Mind (Haidt)

Book: Thinking Fast & Slow (Kahneman)

Visual essays: The Pudding

The sloppy copy, picture power, and more about Cole’s new book in this special episode of the SWD podcast.

LINKS:

Pre-order storytelling with data: Let’s Practice!

Follow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast

Broadcasting from Seville, Spain—a city where modern and traditional meet in design—in this episode, Cole chats with three designers from digital production studio, Z1. The conversation flows from empathy in design to the importance of research and user feedback for de-risking projects and building thoughtful products to approaches when your client doesn’t know what they want (or wants everything!). You’ll also hear great tips on fostering a critique mindset, applying Fitts’s law, using constraints to prioritize, and being adaptive to new technologies.

Asking good questions can help improve our own and others’ work: both when exploring and explaining data. Tune in to hear Cole cover five smart queries to pose and answer during the analytical process and five more to consider when you are getting ready to explain that data to others. Cole also answers listener questions on collecting requirements for good data viz, what to do when asked to prove something with data that doesn’t pan out, and strategies for effectively presenting remotely.

Links:

Register for final 2019 public workshop

Pre-order storytelling with data: Let’s Practice!

Questions? email [email protected] 

Follow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast

While recently in Copenhagen, Cole had a great chat with dataklubben podcasters Søren Christian Søndergaard Poulsen and Jens-Jacob Aarup. Tune in to hear about how story can help save us from death by data, the importance of starting low tech, and ideas for shifting organizational culture to become truly data-driven. Cole also talks about her soon-to-be-released second book, storytelling with data: let’s practice! 

LINKS:

Register for final 2019 public workshop

Pre-order storytelling with data: let’s practice!

Check out the dataklubben podcast

It sounds like a simple question, yet it’s one with which many people grapple: how do I best visualize my data? In this episode, Cole reviews the most common types of data visualizations used in a business setting and discusses use cases and considerations with each. Tune in also to hear Cole address listener questions on graphing survey results, Tableau vs. PowerBI and how to influence a client who wants default graphs rather than a data-driven story.

LINKS:

SWD blog post: grables and taphs

#SWDchallenge recap: plots with dots

#SWDchallenge recap: 88 annotated line graphs

Curved Discussion post: lines vs. bars

Flourish graph: GOT bar chart race

Data Revelations post: rethinking the divergent stacked bar

BBC Video: Hans Rosling bubblegraph

Tweet: bubblegraph GIF

Map: 100 years of platypus sightings

Map: pasture and crop

Resource: xeno.graphics

#SWDchallenge recap: square area graphs

Twitter thread: Tableau vs. PowerBI

Register: May 30th (free!) live event

Register: upcoming European 1-day workshops

May #SWDchallenge recap: artisanal data

Questions? email [email protected]

Follow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast

Honing your own data visualization and storytelling skills is one thing. But what about when you want to help others around you? In this episode, Cole discusses what you can do—whether a manager interested in developing your team or an individual interesting in influencing those around you—to cultivate organizational capabilities for effective data storytelling. Cole also addresses listener questions on when we should use graphs, data viz tools for beginners, and getting effective feedback.

LINKS:

We’re hiring! SWD careers

Interesting team set ups? Email [email protected]

Article: A Framework to Give Better Design Feedback: Analyze, Discuss, Suggest

April #SWDchallenge: emulate

Questions? email [email protected]

Follow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast