Brent Dykes

I’m often asked how long it takes to build a data story. Setting aside the analysis (which can vary greatly depending on the business questions, data sets, analytical complexity), once you have an… |... I’m often asked how long it takes to build a data story. Setting aside the analysis (which can vary greatly depending on the business questions, data sets, analytical complexity), once you have an in...

Why shorter data stories take longer to craft

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Too often, we inadvertently exclude part of our audience from seeing key data points simply because we’ve overlooked that roughly 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color blindness. In…... Too often, we inadvertently exclude part of our audience from seeing key data points simply because we’ve overlooked that roughly 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color blindness. In ...

Design for every eye means paying attention to color accessibility.

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I have a bone to pick. I’m sure some of you won’t agree with me. You’ve probably heard this advice before: 👉 “Make your audience the hero.” It sounds empowering and audience-centered—but it… | Bren... I have a bone to pick. I’m sure some of you won’t agree with me. You’ve probably heard this advice before: 👉 “Make your audience the hero.” It sounds empowering and audience-centered—but it actuall...

Sorry, I disagree that you should "make the audience the hero of your story."

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Like Bart, we’ve all had the same data lesson drilled into us: “Correlation is not causation.” It’s a smart warning, but maybe we’ve embraced it a little too well. In trying to avoid bad… | Brent Dy... Like Bart, we’ve all had the same data lesson drilled into us: “Correlation is not causation.” It’s a smart warning, but maybe we’ve embraced it a little too well. In trying to avoid bad conclusions...

Have we villainized correlation too much?

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PowerPoint is my data storytelling duct tape. Most people think of PowerPoint as just the delivery mechanism for data stories. You paste in your charts, add some text, and you’re done. But what… | ... PowerPoint is my data storytelling duct tape. Most people think of PowerPoint as just the delivery mechanism for data stories. You paste in your charts, add some text, and you’re done. But what man...

PowerPoint is my data storytelling duct tape.

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Having worked in marketing analytics most of my career, I’ve seen my fair share of conversion funnels. If you’re in marketing or sales, you’ve probably noticed the same thing—no two funnel charts… |... Having worked in marketing analytics most of my career, I’ve seen my fair share of conversion funnels. If you’re in marketing or sales, you’ve probably noticed the same thing—no two funnel charts ev...

My quest to find a better conversion funnel...

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Executives often limit the number of slides for a presentation. The goal is fair—keep the content concise and respect their limited time. But limiting slides usually backfires. Analysts cram too… | B... Executives often limit the number of slides for a presentation. The goal is fair—keep the content concise and respect their limited time. But limiting slides usually backfires. Analysts cram too much...

Don't limit the number of slides for presentations. Instead, limit the time for the presentations.

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Yesterday, I wrote about “Squirrel Fatigue”—when teams are overwhelmed with too many interesting but irrelevant observations. As I thought more about it, I realized data storytellers are really… | Bre... Yesterday, I wrote about “Squirrel Fatigue”—when teams are overwhelmed with too many interesting but irrelevant observations. As I thought more about it, I realized data storytellers are really squirr...

Are you taming and herding the squirrels in your data stories?

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In analytics, I’ve run into a challenge that I call Squirrel Fatigue. If you’ve seen Pixar’s Up, you’ll remember Dug the dog 🐕 who is instantly distracted by the sight of a squirrel. 🐿️ In data… | ... In analytics, I’ve run into a challenge that I call Squirrel Fatigue. If you’ve seen Pixar’s Up, you’ll remember Dug the dog 🐕 who is instantly distracted by the sight of a squirrel. 🐿️ In data ter...

Is your organization suffering from Squirrel Fatigue?

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A while ago, I chatted with an analyst who was frustrated. Her business team refused to let her meet directly with executives. All she got was vague requirements for an executive dashboard. She… | B... A while ago, I chatted with an analyst who was frustrated. Her business team refused to let her meet directly with executives. All she got was vague requirements for an executive dashboard. She went...

Beware of the Data Meddleman! Don't let them interfere with your data success.

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Too often, people leap to judgment with data. They see something in the numbers, make a snap judgment, and quickly form a supporting narrative—frequently, the wrong one or one they later have to… | B... Too often, people leap to judgment with data. They see something in the numbers, make a snap judgment, and quickly form a supporting narrative—frequently, the wrong one or one they later have to just...

Leaping to judgment is always a problem. Data storytelling is about slowing down, resisting shortcuts (not jumping to conclusions), and making better decisions. One statistic is just a clue—you need context and deeper analysis to see and understand the full picture.

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Annotations are an integral part of data storytelling. However, people often confuse them with commentary, which serves a different purpose. In this post, I review three types of annotations and contrast them with commentary.

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Many insights 💡 go nowhere. After they’re presented, they essentially end up in the trash. 🗑️ It wasn’t because they were bad or unimportant, but often because they weren’t communicated… | Brent Dyke... Many insights 💡 go nowhere. After they’re presented, they essentially end up in the trash. 🗑️ It wasn’t because they were bad or unimportant, but often because they weren’t communicated effectively. ...

Is this what happens to all your insights?

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If you’ve read my book or attended one of my workshops, you know I’m fascinated by the psychology behind data communication and decision-making. For example, when your data challenges what people… | ... If you’ve read my book or attended one of my workshops, you know I’m fascinated by the psychology behind data communication and decision-making. For example, when your data challenges what people bel...

If you're sharing insights, you'll definitely run into cognitive dissonance. Data storytelling is your secret weapon for helping audiences to overcome it.

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Not every visualization challenge requires switching to an entirely different chart type. Sometimes, a small adjustment can have a big impact. When data points stack directly on top of each other… | ... Not every visualization challenge requires switching to an entirely different chart type. Sometimes, a small adjustment can have a big impact. When data points stack directly on top of each other, yo...

Have you tried using the jitter effect? In some situations, it can be helpful to spread out data so patterns are easier to see.

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Most organizations talk about being more “data-driven,” but one destructive leadership behavior quietly undermines that goal: shooting the messenger. When analysts or managers are punished for… | Bre... Most organizations talk about being more “data-driven,” but one destructive leadership behavior quietly undermines that goal: shooting the messenger. When analysts or managers are punished for sharin...

"Shooting the messenger" ruins your data culture
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Recently, I was discussing the benefits of data storytelling with a client. Most people see narrative as something that benefits the audience. It makes your data communications: ✅ 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠… | Brent ... Recently, I was discussing the benefits of data storytelling with a client. Most people see narrative as something that benefits the audience. It makes your data communications: ✅ 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 – capture...

In #datastorytelling, narrative isn't just good for your audience, it's good for you as the presenter.

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In my data storytelling workshops, I often say color is one of the most powerful tools in your visual storytelling toolbox. | Brent Dykes In my data storytelling workshops, I often say color is one of the most powerful tools in your visual storytelling toolbox. Here are five key ways color can enhance your data stories: 1️⃣ 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢...

How do you use color in your #datastorytelling? Here are five ways to take advantage of color in your data stories.
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In data storytelling, color highlighting is a powerful way to guide your audience’s focus. | Brent Dykes In data storytelling, color highlighting is a powerful way to guide your audience’s focus. Many people are familiar with pairing a bold color with grayscale for the background values. Another highli...

Color highlighting is essential in #datastorytelling. There are two approaches with different trade-offs.

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Up for a simple “critical thinking with data” exercise? | Brent Dykes Up for a simple “critical thinking with data” exercise? Last Thursday, economist Stephen Moore presented charts alongside President Trump at the White House. One chart, showing how the BLS (Bureau of...

Here's my breakdown of a data chart from last Thursday's White House presentation with economist Stephen Moore and President Trump. It was the only one based on publicly available data.
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Recently, I was excited to read a new report on data storytelling from a data visualization vendor. | Brent Dykes Recently, I was excited to read a new report on data storytelling from a data visualization vendor. But halfway through, I came across the tired old myth: “The human brain processes visuals 60,000 ti...

I'm getting tired of the "humans process visual information 60,000 times faster than text" myth. It doesn't want to go away or die.

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In my data career, I’ve rarely used radar or spider charts. | Brent Dykes In my data career, I’ve rarely used radar or spider charts. They can make your data look novel or dramatic—until you realize the shape is just a side effect of the axis order. Once I understood that,...

I'm not a fan of radar or spider charts because the axis sequence changes the shape of these charts. For me, that makes them problematic and less reliable.

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Analytics teams spend weeks perfecting their reports and dashboards only to hear: “This is interesting, but what should we actually do?” | Brent Dykes Analytics teams spend weeks perfecting their reports and dashboards only to hear: “This is interesting, but what should we actually do?” Recently, a marketing professor DM’ed me about his students st...

Analytics can't stop at "What". We must include "So What" and "Now What."

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Let’s be honest—bar charts are everywhere in business reporting and data storytelling. | Brent Dykes Let’s be honest—bar charts are everywhere in business reporting and data storytelling. Along with line charts, they’re probably the most common chart type we use. But not all bar charts 📊 are created...

Framed bar charts can be your friend when you have a clear maximum value. They add a richer perspective that is missing from traditional bar charts.

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Sometimes, bar charts are simply too wide, which can lead to layout issues in your dashboards, reports, or slide decks. | Brent Dykes Sometimes, bar charts are simply too wide, which can lead to layout issues in your dashboards, reports, or slide decks. The default fix is to simply reduce the size of the entire chart, but this can ...

Have you ever had a bar chart that was just too darn wide? Here are five tactics you can use to make them more compact while still maintaining clarity and readability.

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Recently, I partnered with Highcharts to produce a three-part blog series on a framework for choosing the right chart. | Brent Dykes Recently, I partnered with Highcharts to produce a three-part blog series on a framework for choosing the right chart. Last week, I shared Part 1, which focused on selecting the right chart type or ...

After you've chosen the right chart type, how do you decide which chart within that category is the best fit? Use these four key factors to select the right chart.

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💰 It’s hard to communicate really big numbers. | Brent Dykes 💰 It’s hard to communicate really big numbers. $3.3 trillion? Forget about it. Most of us can’t wrap our heads around that big a number. Over the weekend, I ran into this example (https://lnkd.in/gk...

@nytimes.com shared five analogies to put the $3.3 trillion cost of the "Big, beautiful bill" in perspective. Some are more relatable than others.

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I recently joined a webinar on data storytelling, and surprisingly, there was no mention of “narrative.” Only “narration.” | Brent Dykes I recently joined a webinar on data storytelling, and surprisingly, there was no mention of “narrative.” Only “narration.” It’s a common conflation. The words are related, but they are not the same. ...

Narration is not narrative.

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Data Storytelling: When Your Best Insights Meet Stubborn Minds Discover how to overcome resistance in data storytelling when your insights challenge assumptions. Learn strategies to engage stubborn minds and drive action.

Check out my new Forbes article on how to overcome resistance in data storytelling:

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The truth is not all feedback helps you grow and improve. | Brent Dykes The truth is not all feedback helps you grow and improve. Some feedback is like soda: sweet, fizzy, and empty. Other feedback is like soup: honest, nourishing, and actionable. In data storytelling, ...

Don't overlook the role that candid feedback can play in the success of your data storytelling.

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