The Art of Persuasion: Data Narrative

Data allows us to understand patterns and draw conclusions about why things happen. Data narratives, however, are even more powerful. A data narrative supports the same idea or story through multiple data visualizations. You may find these in essays, blogs or even lab reports. The goal of a data narrative is to create a persuasive story that effectively communications insights, trends, and patterns. But what makes a data narrative persuasive?

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Credibility and Trustworthiness

“Superior methods (for displaying and analyzing data) are more likely to produce truthful, credible and precise findings” (Visual and Statistical Thinking, 27).

The data is the foundation of this whole thing, so it is imperative that it is credible. Not only should the data be from a trustworthy source, but it should also be accurate. A persuasive narrative builds a strong case by demonstrating that the information presented is reliable and well supported. In addition, the data should also be pertinent to the narrative. Irrelevant or unclear data will confuse the audience and weaken your argument.

Compelling Storyline

“When a story uses visuals, narrative, and data to engage, explain, and enlighten, we have the power to create change” (Data Visualization Module 5 p4, Callahan).

Once you have asserted that your data is both accurate and credible, it is now time to draw the audience in. The visualizations should help create a narrative that is both engaging and easy to understand. This should include a clear problem or question that eventually leads to a conclusion or answer. A good narrative structure should keep the audience interested and guide them through the data and graphs like a story in a book.

Repetition and Reinforcement

“Repetition matters because it can hasten and deepen the engagement process. If one cares about quality of learning, one should consciously design repetitive engagement into courses and daily teaching” (Repetition is the First Principle of All Learning, Bruner).

While the data narrative should be presented like a story, it should also have elements of essay qualities. Essays aim to persuade the reader by presenting arguments, providing evidence, and using logical reasoning to convince the audience of a particular viewpoint or idea. These are all qualities that should be a part of a good data narrative. By reinforcing key data points and ideas, you can help drive home the main message. Remember, data is not easy for everyone to understand, so repeating it will only help reinforce your argument to your audience.

Final Comments

Crafting a persuasive data narrative allows us to draw conclusions about the world. As you learned, the foundation of any effective data narrative is built upon credibility, engagement, and reinforcement. By including these three fundamental pillars, your data narrative will be able to shape perceptions and drive decision-making.