Lessons From the Frontiers of Data Storytelling

ReinyCohen,ChristenaCoutsoubos&CatherineHinrichsenMay22,2018,ConferenceonEndingHomelessness

Who We Are

n  ReinyCohen@reinycohen@wlihaWashingtonLowIncomeHousingAlliance

n  ChristenaCoutsoubos@ccoutsoubos @buildingchanges BuildingChanges

n  CatherineHinrichsen,APR@chinrichsen_su@sufamhomelessSeattleUniversity

Who Are You?

n  Anexerciseindatastorytelling

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Data Walk

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Data Walk

WhatcandatatellusabouthomelessnessinWashington?

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Data Walk Debrief

n  Whatwasthislike?n  Whenmightyouuseit?

n  ToolforYou:Handout

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Data = Truth?

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Ethical Considerations

n  Workhorses,notpurpleunicornsn  Telltheirstory,notyourstoryn  Framingitupn  Racialandethnicdisparities

�  Representation�  Small#s�  Problematiccategories�  Illuminatingdisparities

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What is your data storytelling challenge? (3 mins)

Some Helpful Data Sources

•  Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

•  Schoolhouse Washington •  WA Dept of Social & Health Services,

Research and Data Analysis •  WA Dept of Commerce •  Kids Count, Annie E. Casey Foundation

What about yours?

How to Storify Your Data

Including,what’swrongwiththischart.

5/29/18

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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Earn CEUs

Boss Made Me

Need to See Sun

Bob Ferguson

Networking

Professional Development

Data Storytelling Workshop

EAP/RAP

Learn New Skills

Speaking at Conference

Never Been to Yakima

Reasons for Attending COEH

How to Storify Your Data n  VisualizingThis

Itgoesonfor300rows.

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How to Storify Your Data

5TipsfromColeKnaflic1.  Understandthecontext2.  Chooseanappropriatevisual3.  Eliminateclutter4.  Drawattentionwhereyouwantit5.  Tellastory

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How to Storify Your Data 1. Understand the Context

n  Whatwilltheaudiencecareabout?n  WhatistheBigIdea?

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How to Storify Your Data 2. Choose Appropriate Visual

n  Startingwithbarchart(Avoidpiechart)

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How to Storify Your Data 3. Eliminate Clutter

n  Gotridofextraneousstuff,addedmarkersforclarity(inside/outside),canaddspacesbetweenbars,etc.

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How to Storify Your Data 4. Draw Attention Where You Want It

Youreyesaredrawntotheblue–whereIwantthem

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How to Storify Your Data 5. Tell a Story

Sowhat?Whatisthetakeaway?

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5. Tell a Story – cont.

EvenBetter!Picturesaremorememorable

Onebignumberisokay

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5. Tell a Story – cont.

AnotherpicturethattellsastorywiththedataAlloverthestate;Whichgradelevels;Children

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5. Tell a Story (cont.

BetterYet:Pairdatawithstory(aswedidwithStoryCorpsandTheMoth)

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Handout for You: Brochure!

n  NowReinywilltalkaboutsomesuccessstoriesusingdataandstories.

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The Frontier IRL

Audience: Lawmakers. Objective: Show that homelessness is more than a “Seattle problem”. Spreadsheets convey nothing.

The Frontier IRL

Handout for you: Good examples of data storytelling

The Frontier IRL

Tell the story first. Make it personal. Show only relevant data.

The Frontier IRL

Data and Stories: The Elements

The Frontier IRL

SUCCESS! Historic wins in the 2018 legislative session Stories changed hearts and minds Source of Income Discrimination (HB 2578) Document Recording Fees (HB 1570) HEN/ABD Fix (HB 2667)

Wrap Up

InSummary:n  Learnfromthebeststorytellersn  Drawtheconclusionfromdatan  Betransparentn  Giveclearpathtosolutionsn  Thinkofyouraudiencen  Avoidjargonn  Testyourmessagen  Share,share,share

Wrap Up

n  BOOKGIVEAWAY!!WhohastheGoldenTickets?

Wrap Up

n  FinalThoughts?n  Q&As?

Thanks!

n  ReinyCohen@reinycohen@wlihaWashingtonLowIncomeHousingAlliance

n  ChristenaCoutsoubos@ccoutsoubos @buildingchanges BuildingChanges

n  CatherineHinrichsen,APR@chinrichsen_su@sufamhomelessSeattleUniversity