30 Top Tips for Effective Data Storytelling Presentations
- Roseanna Galindo, CCBA, CAVS
- 5 hours ago
- 8 min read
A couple of years ago, after starting this blog, I wrote a post rounding up what I’d learned and taught about data storytelling. At the time, my message was simple: communicating with data is more than numbers and visuals, it’s a skill that can be learned. That’s still true. But what’s changed is how much deeper I’ve gone.
Since then, I’ve delivered in-person and virtual Data Storytelling Essentials trainings at national conferences, hosted workshops for healthcare and nonprofit leaders, written 47 more blog articles, launched an expanding series of short videos featuring practical data storytelling tips, and developed practical resources that break down the process into teachable, actionable pieces.
The framework remains the same: six essentials every data storyteller should know. Now I’m adding something new: 30 practical data storytelling tips to help you strengthen your skills in each area for more effective presentation of data.
If you’re a nonprofit leader, healthcare professional, or team lead who wants to move beyond showing data and start shaping it into something that communicates, convinces, and compels, check out these tips. Links to several articles of related content and available resources are included for you to dive deeper into these core areas.
Data Storytelling Essentials: Top Tips for the Effective Presentations of Data
Data storytelling has become an integral part of modern business communication and there is a growing need for data communication skills. Data storytelling lives at the intersection of data, narrative, and visuals—but it also depends on preparation, delivery, and the culture in which the story is told.
Understanding the essentials of data storytelling helps leaders more effectively work with and tell their stories with data. That’s why the Data Storytelling Essentials framework is built around six core principals:
Data Communication Planning
Data Savvy
Data Visualization
Data Narrative
Data Presentation
Data Culture
These data storytelling essentials are all ultimately necessary to effectively communicate your impact and compel action.
Data Storytelling Essentials are communication skills-based training modules developed to provide leaders with the ability to understand and apply the data storytelling process. Communicating with data is a skill that can be learned.
Let’s walk through each one with five quick, practical tips for each to guide your growth in every category.
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Communication Planning
Start with the end in mind.
You can’t tell a compelling data story if you don’t know what you want to achieve. Whether you’re building a slide deck or making a case to leadership, start with a communication plan.
Top Tips for Data Communication Planning
Tip #1 | Clarify your vision. Start your data story by clarifying your precise plan. Know your purpose before you begin.
Tip #2 | Know your audience. Understand the needs and preferences of your stakeholders to tailor your message effectively. Their values and knowledge shape how your message lands.
Tip #3 | Determine the desired outcome. Are you informing, influencing, or inspiring action? Clarify whether your goal is to gain passive agreement or prompt immediate action.
Tip #4 | Create a detailed plan. Map out the message, flow, and delivery format. Develop an explicit plan step-by-step precise plan to focus your efforts and refer back to throughout the data storytelling process.
Tip #5 | Iterate and refine. Planning is not one-and-done. Continuously review and refine your plan based on feedback to ensure effectiveness.
Related: Ethical Storytelling with Data
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Savvy
Build your confidence and credibility with the basics.
Foundational data savvy gives you the tools to understand, interpret, and communicate data ethically and effectively.
Top Tips for Being Data Savvy
Tip #6 | Recognize ethical responsibilities. Use data responsibly and transparently. Understand the ethical considerations surrounding data to ensure responsible usage.
Tip #7 | Master data visualization basics. Know your bar charts from your box plots. Interpret and create basic tables, charts, and graphs effectively.
Tip #8 | Grasp descriptive analytics. Know what your data is saying before you speak for it. Understand fundamental descriptive analytics concepts for accurate data interpretation.
Tip #9 | Practice storytelling with data. Don’t just present results, give them meaning. Develop narratives using descriptive analytics to convey meaningful insights.
Tip #10 | Cultivate continuous learning. Stay curious and build your data fluency over time. Nurture a curiosity of data literacy to keep pace with evolving trends.
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Visualization
Be the signal through the noise.
Your visuals should do more than look good—they should clarify, emphasize, and guide. Done well, they move your audience from passive viewing to active understanding.
Top Tips for Data Visualization
Tip #11 | Opt for clarity and relevance. If it doesn’t add meaning, it’s noise. Prioritize clarity and relevance in data visualizations to effectively communicate insights.
Tip # 12 | Match visualization to data. Choose the right tool for the message. Choose visualization types that align with the data and intended message.
Tip #13 | Design with purpose. Layout, spacing, and emphasis all shape interpretation. Employ design elements thoughtfully to enhance comprehension and engagement.
Tip #14 | Refine iteratively. Great visuals are rarely made in one take. Continuously improve visualizations based on feedback and insights.
Tip #15 | Use color strategically. Highlight what matters, don’t distract with rainbows. Utilize color to highlight important information and create visual hierarchy in your visualizations.
Data Storytelling Essentials: A Practical Guide to Data Visualization is available as an on-demand virtual data storytelling program that can be used for self-paced learning or as a complement to online and in-person training.
The program includes an eBook that is available for purchase on its own.
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Narrative
Bring meaning and momentum to your message.
A compelling narrative ties your data together, gives it structure, and points the way forward. Think of it as the glue that makes your data stick.
Top Tips for Data Narrative
Tip #16 | Embrace storytelling frameworks. Use story arcs to guide your flow. Familiarize yourself with frameworks that structure data stories for effective organization.
Tip #17 | Explore story types. Match the format to the goal—compare, explain, advocate. Identify various types of data stories to match the message and audience needs.
Tip #18 | Choose the right format. A powerpoint presentation isn’t always the answer. Select the most suitable format for your data story to convey the narrative effectively.
Tip #19 | Incorporate narrative elements. Integrate storytelling elements to engage and captivate your audience. Use characters, stakes, and tension where appropriate.
Tip #20 | Structure for impact. Lead your audience to insight. Organize your data narrative in a way that maximizes its impact and effectiveness
Data Storytelling Essentials: A Practical Guide to Data Narrative is available as an on-demand virtual data storytelling program that can be used for self-paced learning or as a complement to online and in-person training.
The program includes an eBook that is available for purchase on its own. Data Communication Planning is coming soon. Become a site subscriber to get notified of it's launch!
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Presentation
Own the room—even if it’s virtual.
You’ve built your message—now it’s time to deliver it with clarity and confidence. Good presentation isn’t just stage presence; it’s the final mile of your data story.
Top Tips for Data Presentation
Tip #21 | Structure for clarity. Guide your audience step-by-step. Organize data communication logically to guide your audience effectively.
Tip #22 | Seamlessly integrate visuals. Incorporate data visualizations into presentations to enhance understanding. Make charts and slides part of the story, not separate from it.
Tip #23 | Harness nonverbal communication. Your posture and tone affect how your data is received. Utilize nonverbal cues to enhance message delivery and convey confidence.
Tip #24 | Rehearse for mastery. Knowing your message breeds confidence. Practice delivering data stories repeatedly to ensure fluency and confidence.
Tip #25 | Engage and inspire. Aim to inspire action and engagement through compelling storytelling.
Data Storytelling Essential | Data Culture
Create the conditions for great stories to take root.
Your ability to tell a data story depends not just on your skills, but also the environment you’re working in. A strong data culture builds shared understanding and supports ongoing learning.
Top Tips for Developing Data Culture
Tip #26 | Cultivate shared values. Define values that prioritize data-driven decision-making and collaboration.
Tip #27 | Embrace the I x3 model. Encourage innovation, intellectual curiosity, and iteration as core principles.
Tip # 28 | Foster supportive communication. Collaboration beats competition when it comes to insight. Promote communication behaviors that create a supportive climate.
Tip #29 | Encourage experimentation. Empower yourself to take ownership of small data projects and make data-driven decisions autonomously. Let team members run with data ideas.
Tip #30 | Promote knowledge sharing. Stories grow stronger when shared. Create opportunities for team members to share insights, expertise, and best practices.
Related: Data Culture: Data Culture: Improving Data Literacy In Healthcare Organizations
Summary
Fortunately, these 30 top tips for effective data storytelling presentations don’t need to be mastered all at once. Start with the area that feels most urgent in your role—maybe it’s refining your visualizations, maybe it’s building a better culture for sharing insights—and take it from there.
Each of the six data storytelling essentials is a core and relevant component of effective data communication. These Data Storytelling Essentials can be learned. Data Storytelling Essentials on-demand, virtual, and live workshops provide communication skills-based practical application of each part of the data storytelling process.
From data to story, understanding the six data storytelling essentials will help you, your organization, or your association’s leaders more effectively communicate with data.
Data storytelling isn’t just a skill. It’s a strategy. One that helps you advocate for what matters, align your team, and move your mission forward with confidence.
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Roseanna Galindo is Principal at Periscope Business Process Analysis, specializing in organizational learning and development.
She is dedicated to advancing data literacy, enhancing healthcare experiences, and empowering volunteer leaders.
Explore Roseanna’s expertise and insights on her blog, Periscope Insighter, starting with an insightful opening blog post.
Roseanna offers a range of professional data communication development services, including training workshops, keynote speaking, and executive coaching.
Visit PeriscopeBPA.com for more information or click on the button below to schedule a time to talk
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