Humans are designed to tell stories. However, data specialists often do not leverage this most fundamental pattern of human communication to relay critical data to key decision-makers. The presentation takes a deep dive into the components that make stories effective, with respect to human behavior, and discusses the specifics of how data can be shared more impactfully in a storytelling format. Through a series of recommendations and interactive demonstrations, attendees will learn how to hone storytelling techniques for data presentation and fine-tune their visualizations to appeal to pre-attentive processing and human-centered design principles. Stakeholders who see themselves as players in stories they witness from multiple, sensory, data-driven dimensions are much more likely to participate in a call to action than passive, disengaged observers.  

Taking you on a journey through our experience navigating intricate data stories, this presentation covers the essential aspects of delivering a compelling data story:  

• Crafting a story: Personalizing your data story using frameworks  
• Visualizing your story: Incorporating data and statistics to make the story more persuasive while remaining reliable 
• Storytelling Best Practices: Understanding pre-attentive processing cues and engaging with the audience 
• Completing your story: Leaving the audience with a call to action and a memorable story they resonate with 

Attend this session to revitalize your view of data communication and harness the evocative potential of data to move organizations to greater heights of innovation through storytelling.  

Speaker: Suchitra Gopal 

Data Engineering and Analytics Consultant, West Monroe 

Suchi Gopal is a highly skilled consultant in the Technology practice at West Monroe, where she specializes in Data Engineering & Analytics. With an industry background in Bioengineering, Suchi brings a unique perspective to her work, integrating technology, engineering, and business to solve complex problems for her clients. Her extensive experience serving clients in the Healthcare and Financial Services industries has allowed her to deepen her expertise in crafting data-driven strategies and developing dashboards to drive client success. Suchi is dedicated to helping her clients navigate their data journey, providing innovative solutions that meet their unique needs and drive business growth. 

Speaker: Madison Leyens 

Data Engineering and Analytics Consultant, West Monroe 

Madison Leyens is Data Engineering and Analytics consultant in the Technology practice of West Monroe, a digital services firm. Madison's experience in modernizing data platforms and processes, for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies, has given her a unique perspective on the importance of telling the story while navigating an organization's data evolution. Internal and external stakeholders alike need accessible data communication. Madison specializes in crafting presentations, coding scripts, visualizations, and dashboards for technical and non-technical users to drive the firms she partners with to greater integrality and mission alignment through their use of data.