Data storytelling and visualisation
Three story structures
| Framework | Structure | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| What, so what, now what | The finding; why it matters; what to do. | Short updates and single findings. |
| Situation, complication, question, answer (SCQA) | The stable background; what changed or went wrong; the question that raises; your answer. From Barbara Minto’s Pyramid Principle. | Proposals and recommendations. |
| Before, after, bridge | Where we are; where we could be; how to get there. | Making the case for investment. |
Turn the verified findings below into a short narrative using the SCQA structure: Situation, Complication, Question, Answer. One to two sentences for each of the first three, and a three-point Answer. The audience is the executive team. Use only my numbers.
[PASTE FINDINGS]
Choosing a chart
| You want to show | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison between categories | Bar chart, sorted | Pie charts with many slices; 3D effects |
| Change over time | Line chart | Bars for long time series |
| Parts of a whole | A single stacked bar, or a simple bar chart | Pies with more than three or four slices |
| You want to show | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship between two measures | Scatter plot | Dual-axis charts, which are easily misread |
| Distribution | Histogram | Averages alone |
| One important number | The number, large, with a comparison | A chart with a single bar |
Design rules
- Make the chart title the takeaway: “Warehouse turnover is nearly four times Corporate’s”.
- Highlight the one thing you want seen; show the rest in grey.
- Start bar-chart axes at zero.
- Label directly on the chart instead of using a legend where you can.
- Remove gridlines, borders and decoration that carry no information.
- Do not rely on colour alone; some of your audience will be colour-blind.
Using the uploaded data, create a horizontal bar chart of turnover rate by department. - Sort from highest to lowest. - Colour Warehouse Operations dark blue and the other bars light grey. - Start the axis at zero. Label each bar with its percentage. No gridlines, no legend. - Title: "Warehouse turnover is nearly four times Corporate's" - Subtitle: "Annual turnover rate by department, FY2026" Then list the exact values you plotted so I can check them.
Always check the plotted values against your own table. A chart built from wrong numbers is more persuasive than a wrong sentence, and therefore more harmful.
Jot down key ideas in your own words. Saves automatically.