![]() That ultimately puts data into a perspective and embeds it in real-world circumstances. “The best possible way of explaining data is to assemble it into a comprehensive story. ![]() Storytelling techniques also come in handy when explaining data. People have told stories from time immemorial to improve understanding and build strong emotional connections. “For instance, it’s good to know that annual sales are $3.4 million, but that information becomes much more valuable when presented along with the figures from the previous three years and the sales of major competitors,” says Sena. In practice, this means presenting data using the right units of measurement and relating crucial data to relevant categories or benchmarking it against the competition. They prefer data that’s instantly related to the reality it reflects in a suitable way.” “They don’t like seeing vast spreadsheets of numbers without meaning. “Nontechnical professionals are predominantly interested in the impact of data on decision-making and work,” says Michael Sena, founder of Senacea, a spreadsheet consultancy firm. Remember, it’s not your audience’s job to rise to your level of sophistication on the topic it’s your job as a communicator to present the information in a way that it will be understood and provide value.” Put data into perspective “Pretend you know nothing about the material and figure out how to present it in a way that will be understandable to someone with no experience with it. To communicate data effectively, Chang recommends getting into your audience’s head and trying to think like them. “Technical data can be confusing and hard to understand for anyone unfamiliar with it,” says Hosea Chang, CEO of Hayden Girls. This is important because you’ll need to present the same set of data differently depending on your audience. Tips for explaining data Know your audience In this article, we’ll cover how to explain data in ways that make it easier for all stakeholders to understand. Explaining data in an easy way to a nontechnical audience requires careful planning to ensure everyone understands the implications of the numbers they’re seeing. Often, different groups need help understanding the data presented to them - and some have to make decisions based on that data. If you’re a data analyst or someone who works frequently with data, you may find it easy to appreciate complex data without much help.
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