Say It With Charts!
Don’t data dump! Inspired by my favorite data storytelling book, Say It With Charts by Gene Zelazny, these two videos will help you tell a story with your data. How should you present a chart? Be a good movie...
Don’t present your chart… direct it!
Last week, I had to stop a presenter as he was mid-way through explaining his chart. “Can you back up?” I asked. “I think I first need to understand what the numbers on the side mean.” It happens a...
If You Want To Blow Any Computer Out Of The Water…Tell A Story.
A few years ago in a session of The Story Compass, a participant asked me, “Don’t you think storytelling is a bit primitive? I think we’ll evolve past it, communicate in a more sophisticated way.” My first thought was,...
Have a fast car? Who cares? What’s your story?
One evening last week, I warmed up two chocolate chip cookies and, at the urging of my dad, sat down to watch Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix. By the end of three episodes, I had decided two...
In This COVID Crisis, We Don’t Need Corporate Jargon. Please.
Fear of the unknown. Is there anyone not feeling this right now? If our usual changes at work are like Gandalf showing up at our cottage door and asking, “Hey, want to go to Mordor and destroy this dangerous...
Stop Ignoring Them! How to Engage Your Audience Tip #1
“Tell them that joke you know.” When we think of engaging our audiences, we often think of things like telling a story, a joke, making eye contact or asking a question. And those are great suggestions. (Unless you’re not...
How Is Your Day Going?
Last night I was on the phone with my 11-year-old, Julian. After telling me all about his gymnastics session that evening, he asked me how my day was. It was a moment of sweet connection because that simple question...
If we think “Story” is a passing fad we can ignore, we haven’t just lost the plot. We never grasped it in the first place.
Two days ago, a colleague of mine sent me a video of a communications consultant describing the four basic communication preferences that make us different. The idea was a useful spin off Myers Briggs and it was well presented...
You Have To Spend Some Money to See In The Dark
Today a client called to cancel their Storytelling workshop. “Our budget has been frozen. The first thing to go is this workshop,” she said and I could hear the disappointment in her voice. Twenty-five mid-level technical staff were counting...
