build a story, not a dashboard
I had an impromptu consulting session yesterday with a friend who was looking for guidance on how to visualize data for an important new initiative he is spearheading at work. As he was animatedly sharing the context, anticipated resistance, and what he felt was a paramount opportunity, there was a term that surprised me, coming up in the conversation several times: dashboard. As in, the correctly constructed “dashboard” would solve everything.
Except…
As we chatted more, it became clear that the very idea of developing said dashboard, rather than solving problems for the future, was actually creating challenges in the present. It was both causing angst (“How can I make sure it’s perfect?”) and stilting progress (“Where do I even start?”).
Beyond these issues was perhaps a more fundamental one: a dashboard was not the answer.
This is not the only time I’ve observed this phenomenon, simply the most recent. People commonly perceive a need for a dashboard, when in fact they just want data inputs to help steer the conversation or decision-making process in smart ways. This may seem like a silly focus on nomenclature, but I think it can manifest as a real roadblock, where the idea of a slick-looking dashboard (or even just a flawless graph) steals attention, time, and energy from what should be the actual focus: the action you are trying to drive and the people you need to influence in order to do so.
In this instance, my advice was simple: “You don’t need a dashboard. Don’t even worry about graphs at this point—focus instead on turning what you’ve just described to me into a well-constructed narrative that is compelling to the people whose minds you need to change. Data can certainly be part of that [we did talk at length about forming hypotheses and then gathering data to prove or disprove them], but a dashboard is not the solution.”
Generalizing this message, once you know your message and story and you’ve worked to make it compelling to your audience—using data to inform these things as makes sense—good visuals become a nice to have, not even necessarily a requirement. What you can’t do without is your story.
This scenario has caused me to reflect on a question that people sometimes ask me: What’s next? I’ve read storytelling with data or attended one of your team’s classic workshops on the same topic, and I’m eager to continue developing my skills and take them to the next level. After I’ve learned the foundational lessons—let’s call it Data Viz 101—what does the next-level course look like? Where should I direct my skill improvement next?
I’m incredibly excited to share that we have developed exactly that course. Related to that, my answer to the question of What’s next? may surprise you.
The next level doesn’t have much to do with visualizing data. That’s because, once you have a baseline understanding of how to make a good graph, the benefit you’re likely to get from continuing to tweak graph types, colors, and details is marginal compared to what you stand to gain by improving how you communicate broadly. When it comes to this, it’s as much about the planning as it is about the delivery (and the former helps the latter). Incorporating effective visuals (for example, graphs) can be useful, too. The trifecta—effectively planning, creating materials that support you, and delivering adeptly—is amazingly powerful. That is what will take you to the next level, helping you influence, change minds, and generate meaningful action.
Back to the scenario with my friend: after sharing my advice, I grabbed a copy of storytelling with you from my bookshelf. I flipped through it, sharing the specific combination of chapters that I thought would be the most beneficial given what he had described.
Do you wish you had someone who could similarly walk you through how to approach your next communication or presentation? My team and I would like to help. I invite you to be among the very first to attend our shiny new next-level workshop: storytelling with you. We’ll be offering half-day sessions in various cities this year, beginning with Austin on April 5th. We’re keeping these sessions small to ensure high interaction and plenty of personal attention over the course of what I promise will be a very insightful, energizing, and transformative four hours—for your work, and, moreover, for you. I hope you can join us.
Dashboards can be useful, informative, even beautiful…but that doesn’t mean they’re always the appropriate solution. Rather than assuming that the “right” dashboard will solve the problem, I encourage you to step back and think critically about what you are trying to achieve. Is data likely to be the answer, or merely a component of the more robust story that you need to tell?
