WHY YOU SHOULD
HIRE AN EMPIRICAL
STORYTELLER AS
YOUR NEXT DATA
ANALYST
STEPHEN TRACY
It has been another milestone year
for the digital analytics industry. For
one, the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted that the annual
compound growth rate (CAGR) of the
big data and analytics market (including
hardware, software, and services) will
be 23.1 percent between 2014 and
2019, culminating in an annual spend
of $48.6 billion in 2019.1 In addition,
while automation will allow companies’
human resources to shift from data
preparation to data science, Forrester
argues that this year will see firms turning more and more toward insights-asa-service and data science-as-a-service
providers.2
This points to an important trend in the
digital analytics industry. That is, many
organizations today seem to be less
constrained by the choice of which
solution, platform, or architecture best
suits their needs as they are stifled by
how to find and nurture the right talent
to succeed with analytics. And this
issue isn’t limited to big data analytics.
No matter what volume, velocity, or
structure of data you’re working with,
the issue for many business leaders
is the same: How can I use the data
that I have to make better business
decisions?
23.1%
The predicted annual compound growth rate of the big
data and analytics market
between 2014 and 2019.
$48.6B
The predicted annual spend
of the big data and analytics
market in 2019.
No matter the volume, velocity, or
structure of data, the issue is the same:
How can I use the data to make better
business decisions?
What seems to be missing from most
conversations related to analytics talent
today is the role of communication – or
more specifically, storytelling.
1
IDC. “New IDC Forecast Sees Worldwide Big Data Technology and Services Market Growing to $48.6 Billion in
2019, Driven by Wide Adoption Across Industries. “http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS40560115.
2
Forbes. “6 Predictions for Big Data Analytics and Cognitive Computing in 2016.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2015/12/15/6-predictions-for-big-data-analytics-and-cognitive-computing-in-2016/2/#6ed9a35f6cd1.
OUR PERSPECTIVES
2
Why does data need a
storyteller?
The concept of telling a story based
on data is not new. The proposed
marriage of strong communication
skills with deep technical and statistical
understanding can be traced back to
the emergence of the data scientist. In
2012, Thomas Davenport and D.J. Patil
described this role as one that requires
not only programming and statistical
smarts, but it also requires people who
can “communicate in language that all
their stakeholders understand ... [and
who can] demonstrate the special skills
involved in storytelling with data, whether verbally, visually, or – ideally – both.”3
In Emily Duarte’s book, Resonate,
she explores what it takes to be a
great communicator in business. She
makes a great case for why facts or
data alone are often not enough to
convince decision makers to follow a
particular course of action. In particular,
she highlights that the information you
present needs to incite an emotional
response from the audience in order for
it to resonate.
Google’s analytics advocate, Daniel
Waisberg, also touched on the importance of storytelling when using data to
drive strategic decision making: “Most
organizations recognize that being
a successful, data-driven company
requires skilled developers and analysts
[but few] grasp how to use data to tell
a meaningful story that resonates both
intellectually and emotionally with an
audience.”4
Interestingly, both Waisberg and Duarte
mention the importance of triggering an
emotional response from your audience
when communicating through data.
When it comes to data-driven decision
making, organizations don’t need data,
they need insight. Data is simply a
means to an end. It’s the raw, unrefined material that you use to obtain
insights with business value. But insight
alone often isn’t enough to convince a
boardroom or stakeholder. Time and
time again, we’ve seen a killer insight
(one with the potential to transform
the business) fall flat because of poor
presentation. You need to consider
how to communicate the insight to your
audience – and the best way to do this
is through a great story.
[Few organizations]
grasp how to...tell
a meaningful story
that resonates both
intellectually and
emotionally with an
audience.
– Daniel Waisberg
Analytics Advocate,
Google
In the past, industry practitioners have
loosely referred to people who use
data to communicate a point of view or
course of action in business as “data
storytellers.” This moniker is somewhat
lacking as it doesn’t quite capture the
full range of skills needed to be an
effective storyteller in the field of digital
analytics. As such, we prefer to refer to
these analytical superstars as “empirical storytellers.” Empirical storytelling
effectively captures the intersection
at which the art of eliciting an emotional response meets the science of
analytics.
3
Harvard Business Review. “Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.” https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century/.
4
Think With Google. “Tell a Meaningful Story With Data.” https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/tell-meaningful-stories-with-data.html.
OUR PERSPECTIVES
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What makes a great empirical storyteller?
To stand out from traditional number crunchers, empirical storytellers possess several key skillsets.
MULTILINGUAL
In the world of marketing, business, and analytics, empirical
storytellers are those who speak
the language of multiple teams
and have the ability to traverse
varying levels of abstraction.
They are just as comfortable discussing business objectives in a
boardroom environment as they
are reviewing system architecture and tagging requirements
in a campaign war room.
COLLABORATORS
Today’s digital analysts desire
collaboration. They want to work
closely with their contemporaries,
and participate in conversations
and projects that benefit both
their personal and business goals.
This is especially true of empirical
storytellers, who cannot be stuck
in a silo or chained to a desk. They
thrive when working across disciplines and want to see the insights
that they deliver creating impact.
INTERPRETERS
Beyond understanding
different business and technology languages, empirical
storytellers also possess the
ability to interpret and simplify concepts into a unifying
language that stakeholders
from different functions can
understand.
CRITICAL THINKERS
In his book, entitled Wrong,
renowned statistician David
Freedman introduces a concept known as the streetlight
effect whereby individuals
analyzing data sometimes
spend their time “looking for
answers where the light is
better rather than where the
truth is more likely to lie.”5 This
is an important concept that
separates the empirical storytellers from the rest: Empirical
storytellers always delve deep
into the data and unpack layers of complexity as a means
to discover truth.
5
Discover Magazine. “Why Scientific Studies Are So Often Wrong: The Streetlight Effect.”
http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jul-aug/29-why-scientific-studies-often-wrong-streetlight-effect.
OUR PERSPECTIVES
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How do empirical storytellers turn data into impactful stories?
The recipe for telling great stories has been covered extensively in the past. Duarte, for example, explores the process and core elements of successful storytelling
in her book. But storytelling as it applies to digital analytics is a much less explored
space. As such, the following thoughts can get you started on your path toward
empirical storytelling in data and analytics.
1
Start with purpose
While writing about being an effective
analyst, analytics guru Avinash Kaushik
stated that the number one mistake
that analysts make is “working without
purpose.”6 Empirical storytellers always
start with a clear objective or purpose
in mind. They ask questions like: What
is the business challenge that I’m trying
to solve? What is the key message
that I’m trying to communicate or what
hypothesis am I attempting to prove?
Defining a purpose will help you develop a narrative that grounds the story
and ensures that it’s told in a structured
and logical way.
Example: A business-to-consumer
company that focuses on youth in
Indonesia is losing sales online while,
simultaneously, there has been an increase in local smartphone penetration.
Although the website is responsive, it is
not fully optimized for a mobile-first experience. In this case, your purpose (as
an empirical storyteller) is to prove two
things: (1) that there is an upward trend
among your target audience toward
surfing the web on mobile devices and
(2) whether or not existing users are
getting the best possible experience
while visiting your site.
6
Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik. “The Biggest Mistake Web Analysts Make… And How To Avoid It!”
http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/biggest-web-analysts-mistake-how-to-avoid/.
OUR PERSPECTIVES
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2
Create a storyline
After defining their objectives, empirical storytellers need to map out a storyline. It’s generally accepted that a
good story typically includes five core elements: a setting, a plot, characters, a conflict, and a resolution. Interestingly, these five elements apply equally well to the thought process that an analyst might go through when designing a story. Here’s an example of how to create a storyline using the aforementioned purpose:
Description
Example
This is the context or scope of your analysis.
Think about the setting and consider the geographic, demographic, and psychographic
boundaries of your story.
The setting for our purpose is Indonesia.
The narrative grounds your story, which is
derived from your purpose. The plot should
outline how you will take the audience on a
journey that intertwines the context, characters, conflict, and solution.
Mobile is fast becoming the screen of choice
for Indonesian youth.
CHARACTERS
Characters play out the plot and give your
purpose context. They are usually the sources
of data that you leverage in order to prove your
hypothesis or point of view.
Financial, website clickstream, and research
data.
CONFLICT
The conflict deals with the business
challenge or gap that you are attempting
to address or overcome.
Our website isn’t providing a good experience for our core audience and could potentially be losing us business.
SOLUTION
This is your recommended action for resolving the conflict. For empirical storytellers, the
solution is discovered through and supported by data.
Develop a mobile strategy that prioritizes
mobile and build a mobile-responsive site.
SETTING
PLOT
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3
Choose your medium
4
Next, an empirical storyteller chooses a
presentation medium that is best suited
to communicate the story. Whether this
is an infographic, a standard PowerPoint deck, a video, or an interactive
presentation platform like Prezi, the
medium should be carefully selected
based on its ability to communicate
the message and elicit an emotional
response from your audience.
Example: The Indonesian client is more
familiar with traditional presentation
methods, so a PowerPoint deck is the
best way to communicate the setting,
plot, characters, conflict, and solution
that will make a compelling business
case for a mobile-first strategy.
What seems to be
missing is the role
of communication -or more specifically,
storytelling.
OUR PERSPECTIVES
Know your audience
Choosing your medium wisely speaks
to the larger issue of needing to understand the audience with which you are
communicating. Are they marketers,
human resource professionals, public
relations experts, finance gurus, or a
mix of business functions? What level
is the audience (e.g., junior versus
C-suite), and how comfortable or competent are they when it comes to data
and data visualization?
Once you know your audience, you’ll
need to tailor the flow, language,
and vernacular that you use so that it
applies to the group. This is especially true when it comes to using data.
Some individuals understand chart
interpretation and data visualization,
while others are less comfortable
with these. When it comes to data
visualization, empirical storytellers not
only understand and adhere to good
standards, but they also know how to
represent data in the best possible way
based on the audience’s competence
and comfort levels.
Why your next hire should be an
empirical storyteller
While the importance of communication and storytelling as a function of
digital analytics has yet to emerge as
a critical issue, the digital analytics industry continues to mature and evolve.
Recent trends in this field suggest
that progress in both technology and
governance is quickly paving the way
for a new focus on people and the
communication of data and insight.
Storytelling is at the root of this issue,
and the business leaders who recognize and invest in empirical storytellers
will succeed in nurturing data-driven
cultures within their organizations and,
subsequently, enabling impactful and
strategic decision making.
Example: The stakeholders in our Indonesian example are senior members of
the brand team who oversee marketing
and technology within the business –
meaning that they are comfortable with
marketing terms and digital strategy.
However, low-level language and specifications related to coding languages,
technology, and data architecture, or
analytics implementation and tagging,
are likely to be too technical and not
appropriate.
7
Stephen Tracy
Data & Insights Lead, Southeast Asia
SapientNitro Singapore
[email protected]
Stephen is an award-winning analytics and research practitioner,
analytics evangelist, blogger, teacher, and all around designer of
things made with data. At SapientNitro, he works with clients to
develop creative and impactful measurement solutions that transform data into actionable insight.
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