The missing link between data and growth is a narrative
Hitesh Nayak is the lead data scientist at Bengaluru-based Prescience, a six-year-old data science startup. Before enrolling in The Ken’s Narrative Thinking program, he had one hope—to be able to communicate more with clients, and help his firm get business. Back then, he felt he was too much of a ‘numbers guy’, not equipped with the skill needed to talk business with current or potential clients. Six months after completing the Narrative Thinking program, though, like the true data scientist he is, he shared with us some data to show how it’s worked for him.
He’s increased the footprint of one of his client accounts by 20%, customer reach by 8%, and the queries he used to receive from managers and clients asking him to explain what a certain data point meant have halved. This, he tells us, is because of the lessons he’s learned on understanding audiences. Now, he can break down a problem and communicate it in a non-technical way, one that’s easy for a business person to understand.
The workshop taught him to shift his perspective from data-first to audience-first—the foundational mental model on which The Ken’s learning program is built on. And as the data he shared shows, he’s started applying the science of storytelling to his work, and the data insights he provides are now clearer, more meaningful, and actionable for his clients.
If Hitesh was amazed by the power of a data story told well, the team from think tank Sight and Life were surprised that the voluminous data they painstakingly collected on nutrition in food products could appear appealing.
The missing link between data and growth is a narrative
However, the majority of employees still aren’t trained in the data skills their employers expect. Which is why we have developed our data storytelling program for teams that want to learn to communicate data to those who don’t speak the language of data.
The program teaches how to convert facts, figures, and dashboards into a story with a climax. In a way that can be communicated in an email or presentation, and spur the audience to take action. The program begins with mental models, and goes on to cover concepts, case studies, interactive exercises, and application techniques.
