By Ara Burke

September 21, 2016

The Challenge

The mind numbing tsunami of data presented to executives daily threatens to

drown any significant information you present before assimilation. In data-led business

cultures, remember to generate interpretable information that enables human

exploration.

Before presenting any data to your executive team, it is important to understand the

difference between exploratory and explanatory data analysis.

As a presenter, you invest quite a bit of time gathering, compiling, slicing and

understanding training data in a number of different ways (exploratory). Many

presenters try, unsuccessfully, to present the exploratory data analysis work they have

done with unfiltered spreadsheets, excessive bullet points, and complicated graphics.

This is the fastest way to lose your executive audience by overwhelming them with

data. Often, it leads to sidetrack discussions that use up precious time cutting your

presentation short before you can get to the important insights.

The key to a successful data analytics presentation is to identify a select number of

interesting or noteworthy insights from your exploratory analysis to present to

executives. The chosen data analysis insights are the only part of the data

communication your audience should see (explanatory).

The Story

A great story grabs your attention, triggers an emotional response, and stays with you.

Storytelling is a powerful tool that we can leverage to engage ever-distracted

Executives.

Here are some tips to cultivate effective data storytelling for executives.

1. Start with the end.

What message do you want to stay with the executives after you finish yourstory?

Knowing the key takeaways before you construct your story is a critical component to

success.

Are you highlighting a success or a call to action?

The tone you want your presentation to convey will determine not only the flow of the

story but also your design choices for data visualization.

What does a successful outcome look like?

Clarify the expectation and context with the requestor before you start building your

presentation. Also, identify common ground with the decision makers and make sure

to meet their needs while meeting your own.

What would you say if you only had 5 minutes to present?

Begin your story by understanding the situation context and knowing what story you

want to tell. Make it succinct as possible and consider starting with a summary of your

findings before launching into detail. A story that rambles on or has no discernable

point reduces executive engagement as well as your credibility.

2. Embrace conflict and emotion. Engaging stories court conflict and create tension

the audience can feel.

A good story starts by setting the context in which the story takes place such as the

setting, main characters, and the challenge they face (setup).

Next, intensify human interest by using vivid language, descriptive detail, and

empirical evidence to build dramatic tension around the problem and persuade your

audience of the need for action (conflict).

Finally, the most compelling part of the story is how that conflict is resolved to achieve

the unexpected or the call to action of how the conflict could be resolved (resolution).

Create a compelling narrative structure. A powerful narrative can overcome the even

the most boring presentation.

3. Infuse persuasive authenticity. Can executives handle the raw and sometimes

unpleasant truth? Yes, when told through an insightful and compelling customer

impact story. Executives in particular appreciate the persuasive nature of the

authentic.

Many presenters try to paint a pretty picture for executives, but the honest picture will

more effectively resonate. Data is the supporting evidence in your story; however,

there is usually supporting and opposing data – use both. By showing the good, the

bad, and the ugly you build your credibility by highlighting solutions despite

opposition and challenges.

Another common mistake people make when presenting to executives is the

assumption of knowledge or expertise. There is an inherent belief that they must know

better to be in such high-ranking positions. Remember, you are the subject matter

expert that has analyzed the data and must take a confident stance in your

recommendations or possible next steps based on your analysis.

The Visual

Data visualizations help us to communicate information more effectively. Unfortunately, we are inundated with presentations that use poor examples of data visualizations or make no sense. There are so many bad data visualizations that entire websites are devoted to showcasing them and dissecting what went wrong.

Below are some tips to ensure effective data visualizations.

1. Choose wisely. When deciding what to use to present your data analysis findings,

first determine if you want to engage the verbal system or the visual system.

Tables engage the verbal system and should be used sparingly with minimal borders and

shading to make the numbers stand out. If you have a mixed audience with different

interests in your analysis findings, then a table is a good choice. Consider just

presenting the data of interest by highlighting a few important numbers or creating a

heatmap to focus executive attention where you want it. If the executives are reading a

complete table on a slide, they are not listening to whatever you are saying. Be

succinct in table presentations by simplifying.

Graphs engage the visual system and this is where presenters often make the wrong

choice on which graph to use to present their findings. If you only have one or two numbers to present, use simple text with a little supporting text to make your point. When choosing a type of graph, remember points compare relationships, lines are continuous data, and bars are categorical data and should always have a zero baseline.

2. What not to do.

3D = 3 Don’t. Avoid using 3D as it can distort visual data and draws the eye away

from the numbers you want to highlight with unnecessary elements.

Skip the desert. Donut and pie charts make your audience work too hard for the

data by having to compare arc lengths or angles.

Empty sexy. If you are going to use an infographic, be sure to focus on the

substance and not just the sexy. We have all seen infographics that are visually

stunning but fail to inform.

Simply nothing. While it is important to simplify, do not oversimplify your data by

not providing enough data to interpret. You want to remove any unnecessary

complexity on data visuals, but not strip it to the point of losing the data story.

Color me bad. Use color in presentations sparingly and consistently for maximum

impact. Avoid red and green shades for the colorblind and consider the

emotional trigger of the color you are using.

Heavy accents. Font size, color, and emphasis can be a visual que that builds a

visual hierarchy when used sparingly or a visual distraction with overuse.

Preattentive attributes can grab the viewers’ attention when used correctly.

Unethical presentation. Manipulating the data or changing the scale on visual

data to make your analysis look more impressive is misleading and wrong. If

someone notices the skew in your presentation data, it invalidates the data and

extinguishes your credibility with executives.

Summary

With mindful data storytelling and effective visuals, we reduce the cognitive burden by

connecting our ideas with an emotion to persuade executives intellectually and

emotionally. Presenting data to executives that enables them to make company

decisions more efficiently increases your value as a training leader.