Narrative by Numbers:

Mastering the Art of Data Storytelling at IGT Lottery

In an era where data inundates every aspect of business, IGT Lottery stood at a crucial juncture—transforming abundant data into persuasive narratives. Faced with the challenge of engaging a global audience, the company needed a new approach to data presentation that went beyond mere numbers and charts.

MLC Presentation Design Consulting stepped in to revolutionize IGT Lottery’s strategy, blending art with science to equip their team with the skills of impactful storytelling in the gaming industry. This collaboration not only enhanced the clarity and appeal of data presentation but also turned standard data slides into compelling visual stories, driving decision-making across continents.

cLIENT BACKGROUND

IGT Lottery, a division of International Game Technology PLC, is a powerhouse in the global gaming sector. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “IGT,” the company is renowned for its wide array of gaming and lottery technology. With a rich heritage stretching back to 1975, IGT Lottery has established a robust presence in over 100 countries worldwide.

The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom, with major operational hubs in Rome, Las Vegas, and Providence, Rhode Island. It employs approximately 10,500 people globally, attracting top talent with its reputation for innovation and quality. IGT’s commitment to technology and customer service has positioned it at the forefront of the industry, shaping the future of gaming and lottery experiences worldwide.

cHALLENGE

IGT Lottery’s Trade Analyst team, integral to their marketing strategies, was adept at handling data but struggled with presenting it compellingly. Their presentations failed to engage the audience effectively, which was crucial for motivating action and facilitating decision-making processes across global offices.

The objective was therefore to transform IGT Lottery’s data presentation techniques, empowering the Trade Analyst team to create impactful, engaging, and persuasive data stories that could captivate and influence the audience decisively.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

IGT Lottery, a global leader in the gaming industry, collaborated with MLC Presentation Design Consulting to address a significant challenge within their Trade Analyst team—the need to transform complex data into compelling narratives that could effectively engage and persuade global stakeholders. Facing issues with the clarity and impact of their data presentations, IGT Lottery sought to revolutionize their approach by empowering their team with advanced storytelling and visualization skills.

Challenge

IGT Lottery’s Trade Analyst team was skilled in data management but lacked compelling presentation skills, affecting audience engagement and decision-making across global offices. The goal was to transform their data presentation techniques to empower the team to deliver impactful, engaging, and persuasive narratives that captivate and influence the audience effectively.

Solution

MLC tailored the “Presenting Data” course for IGT Lottery’s Trade Analyst team, emphasizing data storytelling with tools like the Storytelling Archetype Canvas. This approach significantly enhanced their presentation skills and set a new industry standard for data-driven storytelling.

RESULT

The tailored training program for IGT Lottery significantly enhanced their marketing analysts’ ability to create engaging and impactful data-driven narratives. This improvement in data storytelling led to unified, strategic presentations that fostered informed decision-making across global offices.

SERVICES

#Data Visualization
#Effective Communication #Business Transformation
#Innovative Training
#Engaging Presentations
#Strategic Communication
#Visual Storytelling

SOLUTION

To address IGT Lottery’s challenge, MLC Presentation Design Consulting delivered the “Presenting Data” training course, tailoring it specifically for their Trade Analyst team.

The course centered on the principles of data storytelling, designed to transform statistical information into engaging narrative experiences. This unique educational approach combined practical storytelling techniques with advanced data visualization tools, such as the Storytelling Archetype Canvas, which introduced the analysts to seven powerful narrative archetypes suited for data presentation.

This strategic enhancement in data presentation skills markedly improved the effectiveness of their communication, setting a new standard in data-driven storytelling within the industry.

The MLC Approach

MLC identified IGT Lottery’s needs through detailed discussions with the Marketing Analyst Manager on their learning needs and delivered the Presenting Data course, covering theoretical and practical aspects of effective data presentation.

The insight

The “Presenting Data” course at IGT Lottery illuminated a critical insight: the power of storytelling in data presentation is not merely in the aesthetic enhancement of slides, but fundamentally in how information is conceptualized and conveyed.

Through this training, analysts learned that by marrying data with narrative structures and visual storytelling techniques, they could transform dry statistics into compelling stories that resonate on an emotional level with the audience.

This approach improved the aesthetics of data presentation and shifted the entire paradigm of how data is used to persuade and inform decisions.

The effective use of storytelling archetypes, coupled with sophisticated data visualization tools, provided these analysts with a powerful toolkit to influence and drive the narrative, turning ordinary data reviews into impactful, strategic sessions that engage and inspire action.

This insight has set a new precedent within IGT Lottery, emphasizing that the true value of data lies not just in the numbers themselves but in the stories they tell and the actions they inspire.

The Process

To craft a customized “Presenting Data” course for IGT Lottery, MLC Presentation Design Consulting embarked on a collaborative process that involved several key stages to ensure the training was relevant and transformative for IGT’s Trade Analyst team.

MLC started with an initial assessment and needs analysis and then, from the insights gained, MLC developed the course focusing on the topics that were the most critical for the Analyst Team such as the data storytelling part.

To make the course more interactive and effective and to meet all the participants’ scheduling needs, MLC divided the course into 3-hour sessions held in presence in Rome.

After the course, MLC discussed the feedback with the Marketing Analyst Manager focusing on the key learning points and highlighting potential follow-up areas such as focusing more on working with Artificial Intelligence.

RESULTS

The tailored training program crafted for IGT Lottery yielded transformative results. Post-training, the marketing analysts exhibited a marked improvement in their ability to construct compelling and persuasive narratives around data.

They adeptly chose appropriate storytelling archetypes that significantly increased audience engagement from start to finish of their presentations. This enhancement was reflected in the feedback from global stakeholders, noting the presentations were more visually appealing and more strategically impactful.

The success of the course was evident in the clear, focused, and persuasive data presentations developed by the analysts, which unified teams and leadership across the company’s worldwide offices. This newfound proficiency in data storytelling empowered IGT Lottery to foster a more informed and motivated organizational culture, paving the way for informed decision-making and strategic initiatives.

CONCLUSION

The partnership between IGT Lottery and MLC Presentation Design Consulting on the “Presenting Data” course has set a new benchmark in data storytelling within the gaming industry.

By transforming complex data into engaging narratives, the project enhanced the analytical capabilities of IGT’s Trade Analyst team and also improved their ability to communicate insights effectively across global platforms. This initiative has empowered IGT Lottery with the tools to influence decision-making and foster a data-driven culture that prioritizes clarity and impact.

CLIENT FEEDBACK

A very useful course for the team, especially the focus on data storytelling.

M. Rossi

PROJECT OWNER

Sara – Corporate Training & Digital Solutions Manager

Reach out to me for a presentation training solution to spread a culture of lean presentation design and data storytelling in your organization.
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