Book Review: Storytelling with Data

Why I Read Storytelling with Data

As a business operations intern at SEP, it felt fitting to read a book on better visualizations, as the department is committed to process improvement across the company. And, because I study Information Systems at Indiana University, I am no stranger to data storytelling. I’ve done lots of data visualization the last few years, with many more to come. I wanted to understand not just how to make charts, but how to make them meaningful. How can I help people actually see what matters?

Takeaways in Visualization

The 3-Minute Story and Big Idea

This concept challenges you to boil your message down to its essence. The Big Idea is the core takeaway, and the 3-minute story ensures you’re focused, clear, and engaging. I think this is a helpful tactic for any form of presentation, not just data storytelling. I now try to pair my story down to three minutes, then 60 seconds, and then a single sentence. That process helps me avoid getting lost in the details.

Storyboard

Cole encourages storyboarding your message before creating charts. This helps you see the beginning, middle, and end of your story and prevents you from designing aimlessly. At SEP, I saw teams use whiteboards for this process across departments. There’s something magical about laying the story out visually before you even touch a slide.

Area

We, as humans, are not good at judging area. Bubble charts and pie charts often confuse rather than clarify. Cole warns against using area to show precise comparisons and instead recommends bar charts with a consistent baseline. Misusing area can lead to misinterpretation, sometimes unintentionally, but sometimes as a tool for manipulation.

Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception

Cole introduces Gestalt psychology to explain how our brains group visual elements. Proximity, similarity, enclosure, and connection are all powerful tools in shaping how our audience reads visuals. I found her focus on reducing cognitive load especially impactful.

We’re often too close to our own data to see when a visual is confusing. These principles help guide the viewer’s attention intentionally, rather than hoping they notice what we want them to.

White Space

Not every inch of a slide needs to be filled. White space can actually make your point more powerful. It gives the audience room to breathe and absorb.

Preattentive Attributes

These are design elements like boldness, color, or size that draw the eye immediately. Used sparingly and intentionally, they help your key points stand out. Our eyes are drawn to what’s different, so make your main message different.

Preattentive Attributes in Text

The same principles apply to text. Emphasize the most important words with formatting,
but don’t overdo it. You want to guide attention, not overwhelm it.

Aesthetics

Good design matters. A well-designed chart is easier to trust and easier to understand. Cole offers three aesthetic tips:

1. Be smart with color.
2. Align everything.
3. Use white space intentionally.

It occurred to me during my internship that making a chart aesthetically pleasing is actually pretty easy. You just need to de-clutter. Sometimes that means splitting one overloaded chart into two simpler ones. The simpler, the better.

Takeaways in Storytelling

Telling Stories

Cole emphasizes returning to your big idea. I’ve experienced this too, getting so zoomed in on a data point that I forget the story. Her advice to focus on narrative structure, a beginning, middle, and end, makes it easier for your audience to follow along and remember what matters.

Write the Headlines First and Call to Action

Use action titles. If you read the slide titles alone, it should summarize your story. If not, reconsider what each slide is doing there. Cole also recommends having someone else read your slides and tell you what they think the story is. If their takeaway isn’t what you intended, you’ve got work to do.

Narrative Flow and Powerful Narrative

I’ve sat in too many lectures where the professor talks a mile a minute and never repeats a key point. Cole encourages repetition, not for redundancy, but for reinforcement. Create “repeatable sound bites” that your audience will remember.

Inspiration from Examples: How I Used What I Learned in my Internship

By the end of the book, Cole jokes that you’ll be cursed; you’ll never look at a chart the same way again. That proved true for me. During my internship, I found myself reworking visualizations using the tools in this book: adding clear, action-oriented titles and stripping away unnecessary clutter. I saw how much clearer and more impactful a chart could be with just a few thoughtful changes.

My internship at SEP was the perfect place to put Cole’s ideas into action. I say that because the people here are genuinely committed to learning and constantly striving to do things in the best possible way. Whether it is building software or data storytelling, SEP has a commitment to excellence that I will carry with me throughout my career.