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Driving Buy-In
The Science of Influence with Data

Mico Yuk (Author)

9781394307494, Wiley

Hardback, published 7 May 2026

240 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.499 kg

A step-by-step guide to transforming data into stakeholder buy-in and decisive action

Driving Buy-In, by data storytelling veteran Mico Yuk—who has trained over 20,000 data professionals at Fortune 500 companies including Shell, Nestlé, and Zoom—provides a practical guide for professionals who craft data visualizations and presentations that light a fire under decision-makers. It shows how to transform insights into real-world action. Eighty-eight percent of insights never influence a decision. This book fixes that.

Yuk introduces the Buy-In Method™, a two-pillar system for turning information into action — grounded in behavioral science and neuroscience research. Pillar 1, the Data Storytelling Framework™ (Discover, Define, Design, and Deliver), turns data into a story the brain is wired to respond to. Pillar 2, the Three Signs of Influence (Clarity, Buy-In, and Action), reveals in real time whether your message is landing and exactly where stakeholders are in the decision process. Rather than focusing on technical skills or visual design, this book teaches the often-overlooked skill of reading human behavior.

You'll learn:

  • How to ask the right questions that uncover the real problem — move beyond vague requests and endless scope creep to get to the truth
  • How to transform the way you communicate with stakeholders or executives — translate and present technical findings so anyone can understand and act on them
  • How to build stories that drive action — using the same structure behind Hollywood blockbusters
  • How to read any room using the Three Signs of Influence (Clarity, Buy-In, Action) — no more guessing if stakeholders will act on your insights
  • Why human influence is your competitive advantage — in the AI era, anyone can generate insights, but driving stakeholder buy-in is what makes you irreplaceable

This book is for professionals who present data to influence stakeholders and accelerate decisions: analysts, data scientists, BI teams, product managers, consultants, AI/ML professionals, and executives. It's an expert guide in data communication for professionals who want to know exactly what works, what doesn't, and how to design and deliver presentations that will get buy-in from the people who make decisions. Go from order-taker to decision driver.

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 The $777-billion Breakdown 1

The Decision Acceleration Crisis 2

The People Problem 4

The Two Things We Can Actually Influence 7

Decisions Are Emotional 9

Chapter 2 The Discoveries That Changed Everything 13

Discovery #1: Our Brains Are Wired For Stories 16

Discovery #2: You Can Measure Buy-In 20

Sign #1: Clarity (the Nod) 22

Sign #2: Buy-In (the Questions) 23

Sign #3: Action (Timeline Thinking) 23

The Buy-In Method 24

Chapter 3 Pillar 1: Story 30

The Three Villains That Kill Buy-In 31

The Push-And-Hope Trap 33

Your Role: The Guide, Not The Hero 34

The Data Storytelling (4D) Framework 36

Step 1 → Discover: Ask the Right Questions 38

Step 2 → Define: Create Stories That Stick 39

Step 3 → Design: Create Visuals That Drive Action 41

Step 4 → Deliver: Present to Win 42

The Missing Piece 43

Chapter 4 THE Three SIGNS OF INFLUENCE 45

Pillar 2: Signals 47

The People Problem 48

We’re Measuring The Wrong Thing 51

The Three Signals 53

Sign #1: Clarity—The Nod Test 54

Sign #2: Buy-In—The Questions Test 55

Sign #3: Action—The Timeline Test 57

The Sequence Matters 59

Decision Drivers 60

Chapter 5 Discover—ask the Right Questions 63

Why Your Questions Are Failing You 66

Step 1: Discover—You Need Context First 67

Three Discovery Questions That Reveal Readiness 69

Question 1—Who do you picture using this? 69

Question 2—When do you see this being needed? 71

Question 3—What is the story behind this? 72

The Three Discovery Questions In Action 74

Why These Questions Work 75

When The Questions Don’t Work 80

Your Unfair Advantage 83

Chapter 6 Define—stories That Stick 85

The Real Alignment Crisis: False Consensus 88

The Art Of Storyboarding 90

Step 2: Define—Building The Story 91

The Three Storyboard Sprints 93

Sprint 1: Align the Vision (60–90 Minutes) 93

The Setup 95

The Rules of Engagement 95

How to Run the Sprint 96

By the End of Sprint 1 100

Sprint 2: Validate the Plan (24–48 Hours) 100

What to Watch For 101

The Process 101

The Validation Checklist 102

The Updated Storyboard 103

The Mindset 103

Sprint 3: Commit to Action (60 Minutes) 104

Walking Back into the Room 104

When the Data Disagrees 105

The Walkthrough 105

Lock In the Commitment 106

What You Leave With 107

Why The Storyboard Works 108

When To Use The Storyboard (And When To Skip It) 109

Chapter 7 Design—visuals That Drive Action 113

Why Most Dashboards Die 115

The Anatomy Of A Decision Tile 116

Step 3: Design Visuals That Drive Action 118

The 4-tile Structure 119

Row 1: The Goal Banner 120

Row 2: Three Decision Tiles 121

The One-Screen Rule 124

From Storyboard to Slide Deck 125

Why This Works 127

When Design Goes Wrong 132

Your Turn 134

Step 1: Build The Goal Banner 135

Step 2: Build the First Decision Tile 136

Step 3: Build The Second and Third Decision Tiles 137

Step 4: Test It 138

Ready To Deliver 139

Chapter 8 Deliver—present to Win Buy-in 143

Death By A Thousand Touchpoints 145

Talk To People, Not At Them 147

Step 4: Present To Win Buy-In 149

The Opening: Win Trust in 60 Seconds 150

Step 1: Start with a Short Greeting, Then State Their

Need (10 seconds) 151

Step 2: Show Why It Matters (20 seconds) 152

Step 3: Set Expectations (30 seconds) 152

The Delivery Formula: Stay in Human Mode 153

Step 1: Say the Content 154

Step 2: Pause 154

Step 3: Ask Yourself a Question about Them 155

Step 4: Watch for the Three Signs of Influence 155

Step 5: Adjust Based on What You See 155

The Closing: Provide Clear Next Steps 156

A Quick Reference To The Formula 159

Why It Works 159

When You Lose The Room 162

Try This Monday 163

You Made It! 164

Chapter 9 Mastery—the 90-day Path 167

John: The Wrong Problem 167

Nadina: The Everyone Problem 171

Cabria: Reading The Room 175

The 90-Day Truth 177

Your 90-Day System 178

Weeks 1–4: Discovery 178

Weeks 5–8: Storyboarding 179

Weeks 9–12: Three Signs of Influence 180

Four Pitfalls 180

The Transformation 181

From Mastery To Movement 183

Chapter 10 The Movement 185

What Actually Changes 187

It Starts With One 188

Your Edge In The AI Age 192

The Buy-In Method Manifesto 193

The Oath 195

The Vision 196

Your Move 198

Acknowledgments 203

About the Author 207

Index 209

Subject Areas: Computer science [UY]

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