EP09: Telling the Data Story

“Storytelling with statistics is not difficult, but it is demanding,” says JD Schramm. The distinguished speaker, author, and educator, who has taught at top institutions like Stanford and Columbia, sits down with Karin Reed to tackle a critical challenge in leadership: presenting complex data without succumbing to the dreaded “Death by PowerPoint.”

 

Leaders often fall into common pitfalls when presenting data, such as focusing too much on the message they want to deliver rather than what the audience needs to hear. JD points out the importance of simplifying presentations and avoiding last-minute changes that can overwhelm the speaker. He advocates for using storytelling to make data more relatable and engaging, emphasizing the need to understand the data thoroughly before crafting a narrative around it.

 

Karin and JD explore various techniques to improve slide design, such as reducing unnecessary complexity and using clear, concise headlines. JD offers practical tips on making data visually appealing and easy to understand, such as preferring bar charts over pie charts for clearer comparisons. He also addresses the strategic use of animations and the importance of visually guiding the audience through the data.

 

This episode provides advice on how leaders can identify and craft their stories, beginning with understanding the audience’s needs and the desired outcomes of the presentation. JD stresses the significance of thorough preparation, likening the process to an iceberg where much of the work remains unseen but is crucial for a successful presentation.

 

Quotes

• “One of the most persuasive elements is authenticity. If a leader can authentically represent their passion, their proposal, their vision, or their ideas, that oftentimes can be as effective or more effective than polished presentation skills. And that’s why I believe it is something that’s available to everyone.” (02:12 | JD Schramm)
• “What gets in the way of many leaders in their own mind is they’re so focused on the message they want to deliver that they don’t slow down to think about what’s the message this group needs to hear.” (03:46 | JD Schramm)
• “Once you understand the data, then you have to take that data and make it understandable to the rest of us in a very short amount of time. And that's where the storytelling adds huge value.” (05:48 | JD Schramm) 
• “If we think of the analogy of the iceberg, 90% of it is underwater and only 10% shows up above the water surface. Well, when we think of preparing for a major presentation that’s going to have data stories inside of it, it’s going to have slides inside of it. The work that you do to get ready for the slides that you do show, that’s all below the surface. Those are the slides that are in the appendix. Those are the jokes I didn’t tell. Those are the elements that just didn’t fit in when they said your 10 minutes is now 5 minutes. But the iceberg that shows up above the surface, that’s what the audience sees. That’s what they ideally hear, see, and remember, and they take action on.” (13:40 | JD Schramm) 
• “Storytelling with statistics is not difficult, but it is demanding. So what you ultimately will come up with may have taken you several meetings with your team or several rehearsals with your coach. And when you finally get it, you go, ‘That's all they need?’ But it’s the journey you need to go on to get that data story in a way that’s accessible to your team, to your audience, and actionable by them. So it’s not difficult, but it is demanding because you have to keep thinking, what’s the question under the question? What’s the action I want to see them take?” (25:34 | JD Schramm) 

 

Links

Connect with JD Schramm:

Subscribe to JD's free newsletter, communication matters at https://jdschramm.substack.com/

Explore his books and other services at https://jdschramm.com/

Connect with Karin Reed:

Website: www.speakerdynamics.com

Speaker Dynamics University: https://university.speakerdynamics.com/

Speaker Dynamics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakerdynamics/

Karin Reed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-reed/

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