Every quality professional needs to read Data Story: Explain Data and Inspire Action through Story by Nancy Duarte.
This book does an amazing job of giving you the tools of transforming a boring management review into a compelling narrative. Following the step-by-step recommendations will give you a blueprint for effective telling the story of your organizations quality maturity and help you execute into action.
For example, this table is the start of an amazing section about crafting a narrative that then goes into an amazing discussion on structuring a slide presentation to get this done.
| Argumentative Writing (Logical Approach) | Persuasive Writing (Emotional Appeal) | Writing a Recommendation (Blend of Both) | |
| Purpose | Construct compelling evidence that your viewpoint is backed by the truth and is factual | Persuade the audience to agree with your perspective and take action on your viewpoint | Use the data available, plus intuition, to form a point of view that requires action from your organization |
| Approach | Deliver information from both sides of the issue by choosing one side as valid and causing others to doubt the counterclaim | Deliver information and opinions on only one side of the issue, and develop a strong connection with a target audience | Develop a story supported by evidence ad also include any counterarguments your audience may have, so tat they feel you have considered their perspective |
| Appeals | Use logical appears to support claims with solid examples, expert opinions, data, and facts. The goal is to be right, not necessarily take action | Use emotional appeals to convince others of your opinion and feelings, so the audience will move forward on your perspective | Structure the appeal as a story, support your recommendation with data and solid evidence that sticks by adding meaning |
| Tone | Professional, tactful, logical | Personal, passionate, emotional | Appropriate tone based on the audience |
Another great takeaway is when Nancy presents results of her extensive analysis on word patterns in speeches, right down to the choice of effective verbs, conjunctions, adjectives, adverbs, interjections, and rhetorical questions. The choice of “process or performance verbs” is connected to whether the recommended course of action is continuity, change or termination.
This is a book that keeps giving.
I found it so invaluable that I bought a copy for everyone on my team.
Investigations of a Dog 