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In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Simon and Amy tackle common presentation challenges submitted by subscribers to the storytelling with data YouTube channel.They discuss how to turn complex analysis into a clear and engaging story, why storyboarding can help you structure your message before jumping into slides, and how to decide what to include—and what to leave out—when your analysis contains more detail than your audience needs.Simon and Amy also explore practical strategies for presenting dashboards, balancing graphs and tables, preparing for tough questions, connecting with your audience, and managing nerves. Along the way, they share personal presentation mishaps, hard-earned lessons, and concrete tips for building confidence, reducing filler words, and delivering with greater clarity.Whether you’re presenting to executives, clients, colleagues, or classmates, this episode offers practical guidance to help you plan, create, and deliver more effective presentations.Related resources:Subscribe to the storytelling with data YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@storytellingwithdataRegister for the May 14, 2026 virtual workshop: https://storytellingwithdata.com/workshopsUse code Podcast10 for 10% offBook: storytelling with you: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/booksPodcast episode 86: speak so others listen: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/confidentcommunicationPodcast episode 46: the question of questions
In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Amy talks with Shahar Meir, a data executive with more than 20 years of experience leading data teams at companies including Meta and PayPal. Together, they explore what it really takes for data professionals to move beyond producing dashboards and reports to driving meaningful business outcomes.Shahar shares why technology alone rarely solves an organization’s data challenges and outlines the four areas he sees mattering most: technology, people, process, and culture. He talks about trust in data, the importance of understanding your audience, and why the best data professionals learn to speak the language of the business rather than the language of tools.You’ll also hear practical advice for individuals who want to increase their impact: how to better understand the business, how to frame data work in terms of outcomes, and why stepping outside your data silo can be one of the most valuable moves for your career. This is a rich conversation for anyone who wants their work with data to be more strategic, more influential, and more closely tied to real business value. RELATED RESOURCESShachar’s LinkedIn | YouTubeCareer unblocking mini-course: career-unblock.shacharmeir.com$1M data professional presentation
How do you ensure your data visuals are consistently effective—and on brand? In this episode, SWD data storyteller, Simon Rowe chats with Maxine Graze, Senior Data Visualization Engineer at King, about the process of building data visualization style guides. They explore why “structure liberates,” how to balance aesthetics with usability, and why stakeholder feedback is critical. Whether you're designing for dashboards or decks, you'll walk away with ideas on how to bring clarity and consistency to your data storytelling.Related Links:datavizstyleguide.com – Explore open-source data visualization guidelinesBetter Data Visualizations by Jonathan Schwabish – The book that sparked Maxine’s journeyStorytelling with Data Resources – Tools, tips, and templates from the SWD team
What if the numbers you work with every day weren’t as neutral as you thought?In this episode, Mike is joined by Heather Krause, founder of We All Count and longtime quantitative researcher, to unpack a powerful concept: data equity. Together, they explore how every step of a data project—from survey design to chart choices—involves hidden decisions that impact what gets measured, who is represented, and what conclusions are drawn.Heather shares the seven stages of the data equity framework, explains why choosing a denominator isn’t as simple as it seems, and offers practical ways to apply an equity lens to dashboards, visualizations, and more. Whether you're building a data product, making policy decisions, or designing a business presentation, this conversation will help you become more accurate, efficient, and intentional in how you generate and communicate evidence.RELATED LINKSLearn more at weallcount.comExplore the Before & After audiobook → Listen here
Chris Dalla Riva is a musician, data analyst, and the author of Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. In this episode, he joins data storyteller Mike Cisneros to talk about musical myths, hidden industry incentives, chart data, and underappreciated hits, as well as the thorny questions about authenticity, categorization, and what it really means to tell an honest story with numbers.RELATED LINKSUncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves | Chris Dalla Riva’s book Can’t Get Much Higher | Chris’s newsletterAudiomack | Music streaming service where Chris works on analytics and personalizationMax Martin Knows How to Create a #1 Hit | Chris’s The Economist article on song introsSuno AI | Generative AI tool for music creation discussed in the authenticity segmentFollow Chris at @cdallarivamSONGS AND ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE“Want Ads” by Honey Cone“House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals“Hey Jude” by The Beatles“Blinded by the Light” (written by Bruce Springsteen, recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band)“Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen“When Doves Cry” by Prince“Believe” by Cher“Golden” by HUNTR/X
In this special episode of the *storytelling with data* podcast, Cole celebrates the 10-year anniversary of her best-selling book, *storytelling with data: a data visualization guide for business professionals*. She shares exciting updates about the newly released 10th Anniversary Edition—including refreshed visuals, updated examples, and new bonus content—along with an invitation to a live virtual event on December 2, 2025.To mark the occasion, Cole reads aloud Chapter 7: *Lessons in Storytelling*—a fan-favorite chapter that explores how story structure can be used to create more compelling data communications. From Red Riding Hood to Aristotle to Robert McKee, this episode blends timeless storytelling wisdom with practical techniques for structuring business presentations, building narrative flow, and engaging your audience through conflict, clarity, and repetition.Whether you're crafting a dashboard, pitching a recommendation, or designing a presentation, this episode is packed with strategies to help you move beyond showing data to telling *a story with data*.🔗 Get the 10th anniversary book: storytellingwithdata.com/SWD10🔗 Join Cole's live virtual mini-workshop (Dec 2): storytellingwithdata.com/swd10register🔗 Listen to the Before & After audiobook: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/9781663755681/
In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Simon chats with Allison Horst—developer advocate at Observable, educator, and beloved data illustrator—to explore the difference between dashboards that get used and those that don’t.They dig into why so many data products go to waste, the importance of co-creating with your audience, and the overlooked power of early feedback. Allison reflects on her experiences helping people go from "I built this thing" to "This actually gets used"—and how teams can better collaborate to avoid dashboard graveyards.Along the way, they talk about environmental storytelling, visual metaphors, teaching the “gray areas” of data viz, and why curiosity (not perfection) is the key to lasting impact.Related Links:Check out Allison's work at: https://allisonhorst.com/Connect with and follow her on LNKD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-horst/Order SWD's latest book, Before & After https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/books
Data visualization veteran Andy Cotgreave joins host Mike Cisneros for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of dashboards, the craft of data communication, and the future of generative AI in analytics. Andy reflects on his early career building “dashboards” in Excel for a demanding boss, how that experience shaped two bestselling books (The Big Book of Dashboards and Dashboards That Deliver), and what he’s learned from more than a decade at Tableau as an evangelist and public speaker.They discuss the tension between efficiency and emotion in chart design, why no single chart type is ever “right,” and how semantic drift affects the way we talk about dashboards. Andy shares behind-the-scenes stories from Chart Chat, the Iron Viz competition, and his own evolution as a presenter and magician, offering tips for building confidence on stage and connecting with audiences.Along the way, the conversation touches on the launch of Cole, Mike and Alex’ newest book, the fifth in the storytelling with data series, Before and After, upcoming in-person and on-demand learning opportunities, and the importance of community, practice, and curiosity in becoming a better data storyteller.Related Links:Check out Andy's Books: Dashboards That Deliver and The Big Book of Dashboards Register for upcoming workshops and coursesOrder Before and AfterFollow @storywithdata | share via #SWDpodcast
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Rid your world of ineffective graphs and mediocre presentations, one exploding 3D pie chart at a time! The storytelling with data podcast from bestselling author, speaker and workshop guru, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic covers topics related to data storytelling, better presentations, and all things data viz.
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