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Storytelling with Data
Before and After - Practical Makeovers for Powerful Data Stories

Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic (Author), Mike Cisneros (Author), Alex Velez (Author)

9781394289615, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 15 September 2025

432 pages
23.1 x 18.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.998 kg

How do you turn a forgettable graph into a compelling data story?

For more than a decade, the team at storytelling with data has helped leading organizations and countless professionals transform their business communications into action-inspiring narratives. Now, they're bringing the best of those lessons to you—in the beloved before-and-after format synonymous with their popular workshops. Through twenty powerful makeovers, watch ineffective charts evolve into engaging visuals that captivate, inform, and lead to smarter decisions.

World-renowned data storytellers Mike Cisneros, Alex Velez, and SWD founder Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic guide you through proven methods to strengthen your communications, sharing the thought process behind each redesign so you can confidently apply the concepts to your work. Building on core principles from the international bestseller storytelling with data, refined through thousands of workshops, they demonstrate the straightforward, intentional changes—like simplifying visuals, eliminating clutter, and emphasizing key insights—that will transform your graphs and slides from the expected to the extraordinary.

In storytelling with data: before and after, you'll learn how to:

  • Structure stories that connect with your audience
  • Create visuals that clarify complex information
  • Apply color, layout, and design to focus attention on what matters most
  • Overcome common challenges like time constraints and poorly designed templates
  • Craft narratives that make an impact and influence outcomes

Every page of storytelling with data: before and after is packed with insights drawn from real-world experience, distilled into easy-to-implement strategies. No matter your role, experience level, or comfort with data, you'll learn practical lessons you can apply right away. Each transformation delivers meaningful takeaways to help you create data stories that resonate—and get results.

This book is your ultimate blueprint for turning graphs into persuasive, decision-driving stories.

acknowledgments xiii

about the authors xiv

introduction before storytelling with data 1

Chapter 1 design for insight or action 21

Chapter 2 embrace basic graphs 39

Chapter 3 say it with words 57

Chapter 4 draw attention to what matters 71

Chapter 5 trust your instincts 87

Chapter 6 identify a story to tell 103

Chapter 7 justify your assumptions 121

Chapter 8 know your audience 131

Chapter 9 plan for success 155

Chapter 10 move from “what?” to “now what?” 181

Chapter 11 avoid common mistakes 195

Chapter 12 optimize within constraints 217

Chapter 13 bring beauty to your emails 229

Chapter 14 prioritize substance over style 243

Chapter 15 report with a purpose 257

chapter 16 generate empathy with qualitative data 273

Chapter 17 find the right level of detail 287

Chapter 18 explain with data stories (not dashboards) 301

Chapter 19 value your time 323

Chapter 20 weave it all together 347

what’s next after storytelling with data 372

index 393

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ]

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