800: Make Your Message Clear, with Stephanie Evergreen

Stephanie Evergreen: Build a Data Culture Stephanie Evergreen is a data visualization and design expert. She has trained future data nerds worldwide through keynotes and workshops, for Fortune 500 clients like MasterCard and Facebook and mission-aligned clients like the United Nations, the Boys and Girls Club, AARP, and The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She has three books and a popular blog on data visualization. Data: we’ve all got tons of access to it these days. But perhaps almost too much - how do we actually make sense of it and then communicate clearly with it? In this conversation, Stephanie and I explore how a leader can best use data to make their message land. Key Points Many of us are overwhelmed by access to data, but lots of leaders find that much of the data isn’t actionable for increasing performance. Because dashboards attempt to answer many questions, they often result in doing a poor job of highlighting a key message or insight. Instead of showing every data point you’ve ever collected, use smart formatting to highlight the single thing your team needs to know. Decide in advance what the key message of a slide, chart, or presentation should be. Then, design for that clear message. Answer the burning question that your audience is likely asking. Leaders set the tone for transparency with data that isn’t good news. Encourage and reward hearing the honest story to establish a culture where truth is shared and addressed. Resources Mentioned Build a Data Culture by Stephanie Evergreen Why Data-Packed Meetings Miss the Mark (And What to Do About It) by Stephanie Evergreen Related Episodes Performance Measurement That Gets Results, with Stacey Barr (episode 419) The Way to Influence Executives, with Nancy Duarte (episode 450) How to Respond When You Don’t Have Resources, with Laura West (episode 699) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.