EPISODE 83
reflect & refine: use statio to improve your analysis, graphs & slides

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, Cole here. Thanks for tuning in! I’ll start today by offering a glimpse into my personal life—one thing I’ve been working on and that I’m bringing into this new year as an ongoing goal is to be less reactive. I’ve practiced meditation off and on for quite some time, and it’s become a more consistent part of my daily routine over the past year. One thing I’ve found it to be helpful for—outside of the actual meditating—is to keep me in the moment so that when something is about to get to me, to get under my skin, I have the wherewithal to pause. Take one simple breath and use the time that affords me to reflect on what I want to do or say next in a more thoughtful and intentional manner.

I definitely don’t always do it perfectly, but I can say that this has helped diffuse some potentially eruptive situations between me and my rapidly-nearing-teenage kids. 

Someone I was talking recently put a name to this process: statio. S-T-A-T-I-O. It’s a Latin word that literally translates to “position” or “location”. It can have religious connotation, for example, a statio prayer is a “holy pause” to become aware of God’s presence. But there is also a more secular definition: a meditative pause practiced during transitions between activities. 

I’ve started integrating this type of statio into my own routines—small, deliberate moments of reflection that give me clarity and purpose as I transition from one activity to the next: between pouring my morning cup of coffee and that first sip, when returning home from being out and walking through the door, or when sitting down to my desk to work.

This got me thinking: what if we applied statio to our work, particularly when we analyze and communicate data? 

In the fast-paced world of deadlines and deliverables, we often rush from one task to the next. But what if we intentionally paused at key moments in a project—briefly reflecting on where we are and where we want to go? Could this help us be more intentional in how we approach things?

I think it can. That’s what I’d like to explore today. I’ll walk through an example process—from receiving a new analysis project to delivering the final presentation—and share some ideas for where and how we might practice statio along the way. These are just suggestions, but I hope they’ll spark ideas for how you might integrate this practice into your own work.

I’ll also plant the seed for a related idea: that a minor modification in direction relative to what we might have done had we not paused, can change the course of things in a positive way. If you expand that idea out over the course of an entire project—think of the enormous cumulative effect that numerous moments of pause could yield! 

SCENARIO: a new project. Imagine this scenario: Your manager has called you to their office to talk through a new analysis that you’ll be undertaking. They lay out the objectives, the stakeholders, and the timelines. Here’s where the first statio could occur: before you leave the room. Take a moment to ask a thoughtful question. For example:

• What’s the problem we’re trying to solve with this analysis?

• Do you have a guess or assumptions about how things will pan out? What happens if that isn’t the case?

• Who will use the insights, and what decisions will they inform?

• What does success look like for this project?

The clarification you can get through raising thoughtful questions like this and talking through them can save you significant time and effort later on.

Back at your desk: before diving in. The next opportunity for statio happens when you return to your desk. Before turning to your computer or gathering data, pause. Ask yourself: what do I need to set things up for success? Perhaps it’s reaching for a blank piece of paper or sticky notes to sketch out your initial thoughts. Or maybe it would be helpful to brainstorm with a trusted colleague. Taking this moment allows you to structure your approach before diving into the details.

Speaking of sticky notes: you could use one for a practical prompt: Write “Pause. What’s my next best step?” on a sticky note and post it somewhere you’ll see it regularly, like on your computer monitor or the notebook you carry with you at work.

Gathering data. When you’re ready to gather your data—pause again. Think critically:

• What data do I need to answer the questions posed by this project?

• Are there gaps or limitations in the data I have access to? What should I do about them?

• How will I ensure the data is clean and reliable?

This statio helps you focus on quality and relevance, making it less likely that you’ll spend time collecting unnecessary data.

Analyzing the data. Once your data is ready, but before you dive into analyzing it, pause. You guessed it: this is another ideal moment to practice statio. Take a breath and ask yourself:

• What specific questions am I trying to answer?

• Are there hypotheses I want to test?

• What’s my ultimate goal with this analysis?

Writing these down—even if it’s only on a sticky note or scrap of paper—doing so can help ensure your analysis stays focused and purposeful, rather than diving into unnecessary or meandering exploration.

If you’re like me, you might find yourself getting into periods of flow when working with data. You’re so engrossed in the process that you lose track of time. While this kind of focus can be incredibly productive, it also comes with a risk: tunnel vision.

When we’re deep in the weeds of data, it’s easy to miss important patterns or to overlook potential blind spots. That’s why it’s super valuable to make yourself take breaks—a longer version than the statio we’ve been talking about—and not just temporal breaks, but also physical ones. Step away from your workspace, even if only for a few minutes.

There are a couple of types of breaks that can be especially useful at this stage—these same techniques can also help later, when you’re preparing to communicate your findings, we’ll talk more about that soon.

First, is a solo break. Taking breaks on your own can clear your mind and spark fresh ideas. For example:

• Go for a walk or run: changing your surroundings and getting some fresh air allows your brain to process information in the background.

• Do a repetitive task: activities like washing the dishes or folding laundry can be surprisingly productive for thinking, as they free your active mind while letting ideas bounce around.

• Drive somewhere: driving is another great way to change your perspective. It combines the benefits of movement with the mental clarity that comes from being in a different environment.

Often, these kinds of breaks can lead to an “ah ha” moment—a sudden insight or a new way of looking a the data that you hadn’t considered before.

A second type of break is a collaborative one. Sometimes, the best way to break out of a mental rut is to involve someone else. Talk things through with a colleague. Explaining your analysis aloud helps you process it differently, activating new parts of your brain. Plus, getting another person’s perspective can be invaluable—they might point out holes in your logic, suggest new angles, or offer feedback that sharpens your approach.

When you seek feedback, statio can be practiced here as well. I’ll talk more about that after a quick break.

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Welcome back! Before the break, we were talking about the importance of taking breaks. Whether solo or collaborative, they can make your analysis stronger. With the collaborative form, statio can be practiced here as well. When receiving feedback from someone else, before rushing to defend your work or immediately implementing suggestions, pause. Reflect on the feedback you’re hearing, make sure you understand it fully, and think about how it can meaningfully shape your next steps.

Visualizing the data. The next opportunity for statio comes when you’re ready to visualize your data. Before jumping into your favorite charting tool, take a moment to consider:

• What’s the story I want to tell with this data?

• Who is my audience, and what do they care about?

• What’s the simplest way to communicate the key message?

When it comes to the key message, this can be a great point at which to form the Big Idea. This is a concept we come back to again and again—it doesn’t take long and can be a total game-changer in terms of setting things up for success when communicating with data.

The big idea encapsulates your main point in a single sentence. This sounds simple, but it can be surprisingly difficult to articulate concisely, so we’ve developed the Big Idea worksheet to help. You can download the Big Idea worksheet at storytellingwithdata.com/bigidea—I’ll also link to it in the show notes. The worksheet guides you to consider your audience (who they are, what they care about, what action they should take) and convey what’s at stake (both with the positive framing of what good things will happen if your audience acts in the way you want them to, as well as the downsides of inaction). After detailing these components, you pull them into the single sentence Big Idea. For more on the big idea and other low-tech planning strategies, check out episode 74: planning your presentation. I’ll also mention that we teach about the Big Idea and have participants practice it in our workshops—the next half-day virtual storytelling with data workshop takes place on Feb 6th. You can find details and registration at storytellingwithdata.com/workshops.

Taking a few minutes to state your main point concisely can be hugely helpful for prioritizing your time for both visualizing data and creating slides—so that everything you’re doing is in service of communicating that key idea clearly.

Another moment for statio can come after you’ve aggregated your data as you think about how you will visualize it. In that moment of pause you can determine what makes sense as a next step: should you brainstorm different graphs and pros and cons of each, take a moment to sketch out your ideas to see which will work in a low-investment way, or will it be most efficient to start graphing in your tools and iterating there?

After you’ve made your graph, pause again. Ask yourself:

• Are my design choices—colors, labels, tick marks—helping or hindering clarity?

• Is my point clear?

• Is there anything I can simplify or refine?

I’ve been doing this recently when I’m redesigning graphs for the new book that we are working on. That’s one benefit of knowing that I’m going to be talking about a given concept—it puts a different lens on looking for opportunities to practice it so that I have specific anecdotes to share. Over the past week, each time I was ready to be done with the graph I was working on, rather than turn immediately to something else, I paused. Closed my eyes. Took an intentional, deep breath, and gave it one more look. 

In every instance, I made a change. In one case, I realized that the bright green I’d pulled through from the original graph was too light for text against a white background, so I swapped it for a darker shade. In another case, there was a serif font I was playing with, inspired by a client’s brand, and I’d grown quite attached to it. So much that I didn’t even realize that it was impacting legibility of the numbers in the graph until I took this second look. This practice also caused me to choose a secondary emphasis color on a slide that had a two-sided layout, so the points made and illustrated with data on the left and right would be more visually distinct.

Speaking of slides…

Making slides. Before you put your graph onto a slide is another great transitional moment in which to pause. Practice statio. Creating slides isn’t just about copying and pasting your visuals; it’s about designing an experience for your audience. Ask yourself:

• What’s the main message of this slide? Can someone understand it at a glance? Have I used a takeaway title that tells my audience what they should see or understand?

• Does the graph fit with the story I’m telling? Or do I need to refine it further to align with the narrative?

• What supporting context or annotations will help make my point clearer?

This is also a good time to think about the visual hierarchy of your slides. Your graph might be the star, but are the other elements—titles, annotations, supporting text—working to direct attention where you want it? If you’re using text or labels, keep them concise and purposeful. Too much detail can distract, while too little can leave your audience guessing.

The layout is another aspect of slide design you can address through statio. Look away or close your eyes and then look at your slide. How does it feel? Is there visual order? Are elements aligned, are there clean margins and spacing between things to make them feel organized and intentional? I’ve talked about this before, but there’s a super interesting phenomenon that happens when the consumer of a graph or slide can tell that time was taken in the design, where—even if it’s not perfect—they are more likely to spend time with it. This is something we should absolutely take advantage of, and that a reflective pause can help us address.

Another statio moment to consider is when you’ve assembled multiple slides. Before calling them “done,” step back and assess the flow:

• Is the story logical and easy to follow?

• Do the slides transition smoothly, building toward your main point?

• Are there any areas where you could simplify, remove clutter, or reinforce your message?

By pausing to refine your slides and align them with your narrative, you’ll ensure that each one contributes meaningfully to your overall presentation, making it easier for your audience to grasp and remember your insights.

Preparing to present. As you approach the final stages of your project, there’s another critical opportunity to practice statio: as you prepare to present your findings. This is the moment to pause and consider how you’ll deliver your story effectively to your audience.

Preparation isn’t only about rehearsing your content—it’s also about ensuring you’re mentally and emotionally ready to engage your audience with confidence. At this stage, both the solo and collaborative breaks we talked about earlier can be incredibly helpful.

When it comes to solo breaks, take time on your own to reflect on your presentation.

• Practice aloud: go through your presentation as if you’re delivering it to your audience. Hearing your own words out loud can reveal areas where you might stumble, phrases that feel awkward, or spots where you need to slow down or simplify.

• Focus on transitions: pay attention to how you’ll move from one point to the next. Strong transitions help your audience follow your story seamlessly. If you’d like to hear more about these strategies, have a listen to episode 6: say it out loud.

• Visualize success: take a quiet moment to imagine yourself presenting with clarity and confidence. Picture your audience engaging with your story and leaving with a clear understanding of your message.

Involving others at this stage can also provide valuable perspective.

• Rehearse for a trusted colleague or friend: ask them to listen to your presentation and provide honest feedback. They might point out areas where your message isn’t as clear as you think or suggest ways to make your delivery more engaging.

• Refine based on input: use their feedback to tweak your slides, adjust your pacing, or clarify your key points. Practicing in front of someone else can also help you identify potential questions or challenges your audience might raise.

It’s probably also worth noting that building peer connections like this doesn’t only improve your individual projects and deliverables, but also helps build stronger working relationships.

Other considerations as you talk through things on your own or with others include:

• Timing: run through your presentation to ensure you’re staying within the allotted time. Factor in pauses and moments for audience questions.

• Delivery: think about your tone, body language, and energy. How can you use these to reinforce your message and keep your audience engaged?

After that, we’re at the culminating moment: your final presentation. Take one last statio. Whether it’s a deep breath, a quick walk, or a simple pause, use this time to center yourself. Remind yourself of your purpose: to share insights, tell a story, and make an impact.

Visualize this: you’re getting ready to present. Everyone is gathered in the room and the clock strikes the hour. Pause. Be present. Decide: what will you do in the next moment? Perhaps you’ll stand up to project confidence and command attention. Maybe you’ll take a deep breath so the power of your voice is fully available to you. Engage your audience. Help them understand something new. Drive them to act.

In closing, I encourage you to consider: when might you practice statio in your own work? What’s one area where you could benefit from pausing intentionally? Or think of a recent project—where might a moment of statio have improved it?

These pauses might feel minor, or insignificant, but their impact can be meaningful. Just like taking a breath before responding in a tense moment can shift the course of a conversation, a reflective pause at key points in a project can lead to better outcomes. Here’s my challenge for you: when I stop talking at the end of this episode, take your own statio. Pause. Breathe. Reflect. Then move forward with intention.

Before we wrap, I have a couple of quick updates:

• I mentioned this briefly earlier: our popular storytelling with data 4-hour virtual workshop takes place next on Feb 6th. Details and registration at storytellingwithdata.com/workshops. Podcast listeners can get 10% off by using the code PODCAST10 during the checkout process.

• For those who’d rather learn on their own time, we’ve just launched our very first on-demand learning course. It’s called Behind the Slides: good to great PowerPoint presentations. You’ll be guided step by step through bite-sized videos and optional exercises to learn techniques to build effective graphs and slides. Details at storytellingwithdata.com/on-demand-learning.

• I’m thrilled to announce that Daphne Draws Data, our children’s book is officially available in Spanish; you can find it on Amazon. For anyone with little learners, be sure to check out all the resources at DaphneDrawsData.com. You can also get signed books and a huggable Daphne plush in the SWD shop at storytellingwithdata.com/shop.

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