storytelling with data podcast

Cole walks listeners through her process of preparing for a recent presentation—from turning an idea into slides, to how she readied herself to …

Whether you’ve asked for it or not, sometimes critique from others simply gets under our skin. From feel-good platitudes that lack actionability to …

What does Cole’s 7-year-old daughter have in common with the typical audience member for your data stories? Tune in to find out! In this short …

Graphs and slides are often the first tools we reach for when we need to communicate with data—but when might storytelling withOUT data yield better …

Mike and Alex discuss the advantages and drawbacks of designing visualizations with light and dark backgrounds, using examples from SWD community members to highlight where each approach can be preferable. Then, they …

Cole draws on a recent experience that underscored the power of thoughtful EMPHASIS. Tune in for practical tactics to create contrast visually and …

You'll probably make a few mistakes when learning to visualize and communicate data. That's okay! It's all a part of the learning journey and can be preferred since we often learn more from our mistakes than our …

SWD storytellers Elizabeth and Mike join forces to tackle some thorny questions about connecting with your audience: how do you know if you’ve done a good job, and what if you have to deliver bad news? In light of a …

Tension is a key component of story—and can be used in powerful ways to communicate in a business setting. In this episode, Cole talks tension: what …

SWD storytellers Simon and Mike offer their thoughts on how the recent advancements in AI tools may transform the way we analyze and communicate with …

Have a listen to this cross-cast of Cole’s conversation with Brendan McGurgan, host of the ScaleX Insider Podcast and author of Simple Scaling: Ten …

Why don’t we use triangles in charts more often? Can design considerations come before we have the data? Do we take data visualization too seriously? Author, speaker, and data literacy advocate Neil Richards raises (and …

Cole shares a number of data visualization and communication questions that could be answered simply with the word, “Don’t!” From breaking axes and …

Cole sits down with husband, Randy Knaflic, for a fun chat about her new book, storytelling with you: plan, create, and deliver a stellar presentation

As anyone who has ever participated in a fantasy league can tell you, the most fun part of the whole experience is drafting your team. We took that …

How can we use beauty to convey meaning, and form to guide function, in our communications? In this episode of the SWD podcast, Dr. Vidya Setlur and Bridget Cogley explore these questions with data storyteller Mike …

Data storyteller Mike Cisneros sat down with Iron Viz champion, Tableau Visionary, and self-described “data jackalope” Joshua Smith to talk about how …

Recently, Cole chatted with senior data analyst Shashank Kalanithi for his YouTube channel, where he helps people break into the world of analytics. …

Through our workshops, we get the rare opportunity to meet thousands of people every year, across a huge variety of industries, companies, and roles. …

How can you position yourself—and your team—to be a valued analytics consultant by your stakeholders and clients? Cole talks with Simon Rowe, the …

“I want to be able to show it and say, doesn’t that feel good? And you know what? We actually know it works well, it’s not just your intuition.” In …

Establish yourself as a well-respected data visualization practitioner. Cole shares five points that will help you do it. Tune in to hear tips and …

Have you encountered challenges in your attempts to drive change with data visualization? In this episode, Cole talks with SWD’s newest data …

Fresh off a successful search to expand the SWD team, Cole chats with SWD advisor, husband Randy Knaflic, about a critical part of the hiring …

"There's so much value to be gained in the exchange that happens after someone asks a really good question." The Q&A portion of a presentation is …

Tune in to hear Cole discuss one of her favorite low-tech planning strategies: storyboarding. Small, sticky, and sublimely potent when used well—she …

Cole talks with professional “chart looker-atter” Steve Wexler, about his new book The Big Picture: How to Use Data Visualization to Make Better …

A good data visualization can reveal and communicate insights. But bad graphs abound. In this episode, Cole chats with Ben Jones about misleading …

Giving good feedback to others—when done well—can help you sharpen your own thinking and approaches for visualizing and communicating with data. We’ll start with this critical topic in our new 10-week course, so it …

“You don’t have to be a cartographer to make a great map.” Cole talks with cartographer Kenneth Field, author of the award-winning book, Cartography. …

“For data visualization, you don’t need to be an artist to make good sketches.” Cole talks with Data Sketches authors, Shirley Wu and Nadieh Bremer, …

Cole talks with Jon Schwabish about his latest book, Better Data Visualizations. Tune in to hear about Jon’s goal to make people aware of a wider …

Being able to introduce yourself eloquently and in a way that captures and keeps your intended audience’s attention is a hugely important thing. Yet, we don’t commonly devote a lot of time or thought to planning how we …

How can you get people’s attention on what you want to share and drive the action you seek? Carefully consider your audience. In this episode, Cole …

When communicating data in a meeting or presentation, YOU play a very important role. How can you talk about your data in a way that makes others …

A xenographic is simply a chart type not seen before, and in this episode, Cole talks with data journalist and designer Maarten Lambrechts, creator …

With days defined by distraction, how can we solve big problems and make time for what matters? Cole talks with technology designer and author of …

“Creativity is not stopping at the 1st or 2nd or 3rd iteration. Let’s create a ton of spaghetti and throw it at the wall—eventually something will …

“Visualization is a game of decisions.” In this episode, Cole chats with data visualization consultant, teacher, researcher, and author, Andy Kirk. …

Tune in to this lively conversation, where Cole chats with The Big Book of Dashboard author and Tableau evangelist, Andy Cotgreave, about optimizing …

What should we do when we believe others should place more value on effective data storytelling than they think they should? Don’t fight every fight, …

Lights, camera, action! Tune in to hear Cole, Randy and the entire SWD team chat with Kristen Johnson, Executive Director of Communications and …

The storytelling with data team has been a work-from-home team since the beginning and in this episode, Randy and data storytellers Elizabeth, Mike, and Alex discuss how to be productive, stay engaged and maintain …

Why do we visualize data and what makes data visualization good? Tune in to hear Cole share her thoughts on these and related questions. She also …

While in Seattle recently, Cole sat down with the author of recently published Avoiding Data Pitfalls, Ben Jones. They discuss missteps using data, …

When in DC recently, Cole visited the Urban Institute to talk with Jon Schwabish, author of Better Presentations and editor of the …

Backstage at the Tableau Conference, Cole sat down with the three authors of The Big Book of Dashboards for a lively conversation. Listen to their …

From graphs made with electric tape and exacto knives at NASA to CEO of a renowned Silicon Valley communications firm—in this episode, Cole talks …

If good graphs empower us to pose good questions, what happens on the dark side of data viz? In this episode, Cole talks with Alberto Cairo about his …

The sloppy copy, picture power, and more about Cole’s new book in this special episode of the SWD podcast.

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Broadcasting from Seville, Spain—a city where modern and traditional meet in design—in this episode, Cole chats with three designers from digital …

Asking good questions can help improve our own and others’ work: both when exploring and explaining data. Tune in to hear Cole cover five smart …

While recently in Copenhagen, Cole had a great chat with dataklubben podcasters Søren Christian Søndergaard Poulsen and Jens-Jacob Aarup. Tune in to …

It sounds like a simple question, yet it’s one with which many people grapple: how do I best visualize my data? In this episode, Cole reviews the …

Honing your own data visualization and storytelling skills is one thing. But what about when you want to help others around you? In this episode, …

In this episode, Cole talks with data storyteller and author of recently published Info We Trust: How to Inspire the World with Data—RJ Andrews. They …

How did you learn to visualize data? Professionals in this space hail from a wide variety of backgrounds and in this episode, you’ll hear a dozen responses to this question, from artists, mathematicians and more. Listen …

Why do new year’s resolutions often fail? How do we set good goals? In this episode, Cole discusses the quarterly OKR goal-setting process she …

After a brief pause, the storytelling with data podcast is almost back with a replay of a recent podcast Cole did with Moritz Stefaner and …

Do graphs always have to have a zero baseline? Are pie charts evil? Is there a single, “right” answer? In this episode, Cole discusses a number of …

Truth or Lie? It isn’t that simple or binary when it comes to visualizing and communicating with data: there is a spectrum. In this episode, Cole …

Whether it’s a graph, a slide, a presentation, your message, a story—there can be immense value in talking through it, out loud. In this session, …

We often complain about the constraints we face when communicating via a presentation: we don’t have enough time, we don’t have the right tools, we …

“It depends.” These two simple words can answer a number of questions raised when it comes to visualizing data and communicating with it effectively. …

“How did you start storytelling with data?” is a question I receive frequently. In this episode, I’m interviewed by my husband, Randy, and field questions on how it all came to be, including finding balance between work …

The term "storytelling" is more popular than ever—but moving beyond the buzzword—there is real impact that you can have by framing your data in …

Feedback is a critical component for refining and perfecting data visualization. In this first episode, Cole discusses both the value of giving and …