Effective data storytelling
If you’re interested in more content on data storytelling and other related topics, this section will feature some of Brent’s past Forbes articles. As his ideas and thoughts on data storytelling evolve, he looks forward to sharing more tips and examples of effective data stories.
Jul 14, 2026
Discover why the 'just give me the numbers' culture may be costing your organization its best insights, and how the Data Communication Triangle helps leaders and communicators choose the right format.
May 13, 2026
When results disappoint, leaders face The Critical Fork: deflect and repeat mistakes, or inspect, correct and improve. Discipline makes the difference.
Jun 30, 2025
Discover how to overcome resistance in data storytelling when your insights challenge assumptions. Learn strategies to engage stubborn minds and drive action.
Mar 10, 2025
This article explores how humans and AI should collaborate across four different task scenarios—when to automate, augment, evaluate or lead.
Jan 28, 2025
Like triathletes mastering swimming, cycling and running, data storytellers need proficiency in data, narrative and visuals. Learn the parallels and how to win at both.
Aug 15, 2024
Data plays an important role in decision-making. This article explores what it means to have a data-driven mindset and how it can guide decision-making to better results.
Feb 27, 2024
Our ability to find and tell meaningful data stories will be enhanced, not replaced, by AI. This article explains why augmentation will lead to better data storytelling.
Jan 10, 2024
For years, CDOs have struggled to develop strong data cultures at their organizations. This article explores whether AI can solve data culture challenges for companies.
Aug 30, 2023
Generative AI is creating a lot of buzz. This article examines three unique advantages that GenAI has over past technologies that failed to live up to their hype.
Apr 12, 2023
Generative AI is poised to transform future workforces. While the technology is still in its infancy, it's growing up quickly. This article explores how generative AI can make workers more efficient and effective with content creation. It also shares the challenges and one entrepreneur's journey.
Nov 29, 2022
Today, most companies are still struggling to become more data-driven. Even though data is inseparably connected with change, there's very little focus on change management. This article examines the three main sources of resistance to data and shares five tips for leading data-driven change.
Aug 31, 2022
Every day businesses are making a host of decisions—big and small. Increasingly, many of these decisions are being informed or guided by data. This article examines several potential pitfalls that can prevent data-driven decision-making (DDDM) from delivering on its full potential.
Mar 8, 2022
In today's data economy, the word 'insight' is used frequently in business. However, in many cases, it is misused without a clear understanding what the word means. We need to enhance insight literacy, which starts with developing a clearer definition of what insights really are.
Jan 12, 2022
Similar to running a marathon, your organization must be focused on the finish if it wants to be successful with analytics. This article examines the six key milestones in the data analytics marathon and explores three ways you can conquer the crucial last mile to drive business value.
Sep 28, 2021
Ambitious data initiatives or programs can take time to deploy and rollout. Change fatigue can often set in and derail their progress. However, by targeting quick wins, you can show incremental value to the organization and build momentum for your data initiatives.
Jul 13, 2021
The most common way of sharing data with employees has been through dashboards and reports, but they mainly focus on the 'what.' What executives really crave is the 'why'--interpreting the numbers to help inform decisions. A recent survey reveals how data stories can address this crucial need.
Jun 1, 2021
According to a NewVantage Partners survey, 99% of firms have invested in data initiatives and 92% reported the pace of investment is accelerating. However, only 24% reported having a data-driven organization. This article looks at 10 reasons why your company may not have achieved this goal yet.
Feb 25, 2021
With all the data being collected by organizations these days, curiosity is crucial to turning this data into meaningful insights. This article delves into why passion and tenacity are also required to discover the deeper, more valuable insights that every data-driven organization covets.
Nov 30, 2020
Too often key insights are shared in overwhelming, confusing data dumps. As a result, many insights are misunderstood or overlooked by leaders and their teams. This article shares three helpful lessons for your organization as it transitions to more effective data storytelling.
Aug 11, 2020
Data can unlock a wealth of insights into your business performance and customers. However, it won't provide the answers you need if you don't ask the right questions. This article focuses on a simple, audience-centered framework that provides the context and focus to discover meaningful insights.
Jan 22, 2020
While most businesses expect technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented analytics to drive more value from data, human beings will also play an integral role. In the coming decade, data storytellers will help shape the value that businesses receive from their data investments.
Oct 10, 2019
Based on the wealth of data that organizations now have, it's imperative that companies cultivate the skills and environment that support greater data curiosity. This article explores the need to be curious with data and how organizations can foster data-curious cultures.
Sep 12, 2019
What we want the most from our dashboards is actionable insights. Yet, most dashboards fail to deliver on this key promise. This article outlines 10 tips or guidelines that can help make your dashboards more actionable and, ultimately, more valuable.
Mar 28, 2019
Despite the increased emphasis on becoming data-driven, a recent study by NewVantage Partners shows companies are still struggling to create a data-driven culture. This article looks at four key pillars that are essential to your efforts at creating a data-driven culture within your organization
Oct 30, 2018
Many people assume dashboards tell stories when in fact most don't. Instead, most dashboards frame key information so users can find insights (exploratory) rather than telling a specific story (explanatory). This article explores the concept of storyframing and how it complements storytelling.
Apr 25, 2017
Data stories are powerful vehicles for sharing insights to influence change. However, not all data stories are effective and may exhibit flaws that limit their effectiveness. This article explains how data stories are formed and highlights three common data storytelling traps to avoid.
Mar 9, 2017
Aspiring data-driven companies are discovering simply making data more pervasive and accessible isn’t enough. A low level of data literacy can actually inhibit the full impact of your analytics investments. This article looks at the four keys to establishing a minimum viable level of data literacy.
Jun 13, 2016
The field of data storytelling is still relatively new and uncharted, but it has become a hot topic in both analytics and business circles. As various people step forward to provide opinions on how to tell data stories, misinformation is creeping in which, if left unaddressed, could lead aspiring data storytellers astray
Apr 26, 2016
Forrester reports 74% of firms say they want to be “data-driven,” but only 29% are actually successful at connecting analytics to action. Actionable insights are the missing link for companies that want to drive business outcomes from their data. This article defines six key attributes that make insights truly actionable.
Mar 31, 2016
With the influx of data and self-service analytics tools, we're going to need more people capable of communicating insights effectively. The next generation of data storytellers will not be limited to just analysts and data scientists. Everyone will need to know how to tell a story with numbers.
Feb 9, 2016
Data is becoming more and more critical to our business success, but we still resist listening to it on a regular basis. This article explores an historical example of one man's struggle to introduce a simple, lifesaving data insight that rocked the established beliefs of his profession. It will explore what went wrong and what we can learn from his experience to help communicate our insights more effectively.
Master the art and science of data storytelling—with frameworks and techniques to help you craft compelling stories with data.
Effectively communicating with data is a necessity in organizations of all types and sizes. It’s often the crucial last mile in the analysis process that determines whether an insight will inspire action. Transforming data into visual communication is only one part of the picture—it’s just as important to engage your audience with a memorable and persuasive story. Narratives are more powerful than raw statistics, more enduring then pretty charts. Effective Data Storytelling teaches you how to communicate insights that influence decisions, inspire action, and drive change.
