identifying tension in data stories
Tension is an important part of any good story. Without it, things fall flat (or rather, they remain flat, because there’s nothing to lend shape!). Tension is a key component of data stories, too. That said, understanding and aptly articulating tension so that it can be used to communicate in a business setting can sometimes feel like an elusive process. In this short post, I’ll share several strategies that can help you identify tension, with the promise that taking a few minutes to do so will markedly improve your next graph, slide, or presentation.
The next time you need to communicate the results of a project or analysis, ask yourself this question—What is the tension in this data story? If the tension isn’t obvious, here are a few tactics to try:
Identify what is at stake for your audience in the given situation. It’s more natural to communicate for ourselves, rather than our audience. In order to ensure you are doing the latter, it can be useful to complete the Big Idea worksheet. This will guide you to get a specific audience in mind, and then think through what matters to them. What do they stand to gain, or what are the benefits if they act in the way that you think they should; what are the risks if they don’t act accordingly? Compare what you need to communicate with the relevant stakes for your audience: tension often lies at the intersection.
Focus on the gap between the current state and desired state. Start with the ideal state: what would things look like if they were perfect? Describe that utopia in words or conjure images of it in your mind. Then consider the harsh reality of today, where things don’t align with the nirvana you’ve imagined. What is keeping it from being so? That is your tension.
Jump ahead to the action. What do you want people to do? The steps you wish them to take likely resolve or ease an issue. Starting with the action can help you back into the identification of tension. The action itself can take many forms—it might be a decision or a discussion. If you need help identifying the action, try listing out the potential actions your audience could take based on the information your share. Then identify from the list the primary action you want them to take. Be specific—suppose you will say the sentence to your audience: “After reading my deck or listening to my presentation, you should ________________.”
Discuss the scenario with someone else. Talk with a colleague, manager, or stakeholder. The conversation may enlighten you. You could even use some of the ideas above as conversation starters. What is at stake for the audience? What is the gap between what is and what could be? What action should the audience take?
Bottom line: don’t give up if the tension isn’t immediately obvious; keep working to identify it. This will become easier with practice. If you have something worth communicating, tension is present. Take the time to understand and use it.
For more on using tension to communicate in a business setting—including specific examples of identifying and using tension to communicate—I invite you to listen to the latest SWD podcast.