PRESENTING DATA
Bring data to life and learn to tell it through engaging presentations that capture the attention of your audience
With this book, you will learn to:
Analyze and understand your audience
to create a narrative that is perfectly
suited to their needs
Design data stories in an agile way,
maximizing productivity and saving
valuable time
Bring the numbers to life by
presenting them as if they were
scenes from a movie
Apply the science of perception
to make effective slides
Use 7 of the most effective
storytelling archetypes to make
your data persuasive
Understand how the brain works
and engrave your data in the memory
of the public
NUMBERS ARE NOT BORING…
Most decisions are based on numerical results, the result of hours spent processing data. However, numbers can appear cold when presented as simple tables and graphs.
By learning to analyze your audience, learn about storytelling archetypes, and understand the perception mechanisms of the human brain, you will be able to bring data to life and transform it into engaging and memorable visual stories.
By doing so, you will create data presentations that will effectively guide your audience to the best decision.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
0. INTRODUCTION
1. THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA
1.1 Data drives strategic decisions
1.2 Data is easy to process, the problem lies in presenting it!
Case study – Demonstrating the usefulness of management
2. DATA: A POWERFUL TOOL FOR PERSUASION
2.1 The survival bias
2.2 Human beings and percentages
2.3 The way data is presented alters perception and influences decisions
2.4 There are too many cognitive biases, so what can we do?
3. A LEAN PROCESS FOR PRESENTING DATA
3.1 Creativity vs. Logic in data presentations
3.2 The meaning of lean thinking in presentations
Case Study – A tailor-made presentation in record time
3.3 Learning from Lean Presentation Design
3.4 The lean presenter’s value manifesto
4. UNDERSTAND THE AUDIENCE
4.1 How do you define a good chart?
4.2 The awareness scale
4.3 Modeling audience behavior
Case Study – “When data is not enough”
4.4 The language of the audience
5. WRITE THE STORY
5.1 Data storytelling – what exactly does this mean?
5.2 How do you build a story in business?
Case Study – Creating a story from numbers
5.3 Beginning, development, and conclusion
5.4 Different ways to tell a story
5.4.1 Defeating the monster
5.4.2 From rags to riches
5.4.3 The quest
5.4.4 The journey and the return home
5.4.5 Comedy
5.4.6 Tragedy
5.4.7 Rebirth
5.5 A canvas as a guiding light
5.6 What if there is no time to tell a story?
6. VIEW MESSAGES
6.1 Tables vs. charts
6.2 Types of charts
6.2.1 Scatter plot
6.2.2 Line graph
6.2.3 Pie chart
6.2.4 Bar graph
6.2.5 Other visuals
6.3 How can you choose the chart that is right for you?
6.4 Are prettier graphs easier to remember?
6.5 Combining images and graphics
6.5.1 Silhouetted image
6.5.2 The transparent box
6.5.3 The cutout that creates space
7. CREATE THE PRESENTATION
7.1 The science of human perception
7.1.1 Scatter plot with one variable
7.1.2 Bar graph
7.1.3 Pie chart
7.1.4 Stacked bar chart
7.1.5 Maps and shading
7.2 Display data in a lean way
A real case study – Going back in time
8. DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
8.1 The importance of attracting attention
8.1.1 Our eyes do not follow a predetermined order
8.1.2 Differentiation catches our attention
8.1.3 We see what we expect to see
8.1.4 We make sense of what we see
8.2 Attracting attention exactly where you need it
8.3 The fundamental Gestalt principles
8.3.1 Proximity
8.3.2 Similarity (or repetition)
8.3.3 Connection
8.3.4 Continuity
8.3.5 Symmetry
8.3.6 Contrast
8.3.7 Enclosure
8.3.8 Common destiny
8.4 What makes a chart truly memorable?
A real case study – Designing the experience
9. PRESENT DATA WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
9.1 Using AI for brainstorming and generating ideas
9.2 Apply storytelling archetypes with AI help
9.3 Narrative tailoring: creating custom narratives for your audience with AI
9.4 Analyzing employee performance with AI
9.5 A critical assessment of AI and future scenarios
10. CASE STUDY 1 – PERFORMANCE OF WELCOME EMAIL SEQUENCE
10.1 The challenge
10.2 The solution
10.2.1 Activate the exploratory phase and clarify the situation by finding the best way to visualize the data
10.2.2 Identify the goal, context, conflict, and the ideal moment to introduce the potential solution
10.2.3 Turn this ineffective slide into a powerful data story
11. CASE STUDY 2 – USER ACQUISITION CHANNELS
11.1 The challenge
11.2 The solution
11.2.1 Activate the exploratory phase and clarify the situation by finding the best way to visualize the data
11.2.2 Identify the goal, context, conflict, and the ideal moment to introduce the potential solution
11.2.3 Turn this ineffective slide into a powerful data story
12. CASE STUDY 3 – PROMOTION STRATEGY
12.1 The challenge
12.2 The solution
12.2.1 Activate the exploratory phase and clarify the situation by finding the best way to visualize the data
12.2.2 Identify the goal, context, conflict, and the ideal moment to introduce the potential solution
12.2.3 Turn this ineffective slide into a powerful data story
13. DATA STORIES FROM THE MARKET
13.1 Simone Alonge, Prysmian
13.2 Sara Martinotti, Ferrero
13.3 Andrea Cirillo, Intesa San Paolo
14. EXERCISES
14.1 Strategic human resource planning and allocation
14.2 Portfolio strategy
BIBLIOGRAPHY
SITOGRAPHY
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS
TALKING ABOUT US
MEET THE AUTHOR: MAURIZIO LA CAVA
Presentation Strategist, Founder of the Lean Presentation Design Methodology, Professor of Presentation Strategies, Public speaker, CEO at MLC Presentation Design Consulting, Startup Pitch Strategist at Polihub.
Author of: “Lean Presentation Design”, “Startup Pitch”, and “Presenting Data” books.
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