Know your audience

1. Know your audience

The first practical step in forming a data story is identifying your audience. This determines how you will frame your data insights.

2. How to recognize a non-technical audience

It can be difficult to understand your target audience, especially if you're a technical person talking to a non-technical audience. This can be especially difficult when you're trying to convey complex information in an easily-digestible way. A non-technical audience is a group who are not familiar with the technology discussed in your presentation. This audience may have a difficult time understanding the terminology used in your talk. Use general terms and not tech-specific terms. More visuals or demonstrations may better illustrate your point.

3. Know your subject matter

Know your subject matter and data inside and out. This is the best way to ensure that you will communicate effectively. Spend some time learning about how experts in your field communicate your topic. Can you teach your subject? Can you break it down to its most basic elements? Richard Feynman, a physicist, was an expert at communicating complex subjects in a fun, memorable manner. He said, “Anytime you try to teach the subjects without teachers who love the subject, it is doomed to failure and is a foolish thing to do.”

4. Take the audience's perspective

Take the audience's perspective. What would they want to hear from you? What problems are they trying to solve? How do they think your data insights will help? Keep these questions in mind and you'll keep your audience interested and engaged. They may not have a science background, but if they supervise scientists think about how they may be briefed by technical experts daily. However, keep in mind that most people are not experts in your field, so avoid technical jargon whenever possible. The good news is that stories have an effect on everyone, regardless of background. Lastly, when in doubt about how to target your audience, ask “who is the decision maker?” Your answer tends to provide a remarkable amount of clarity.

5. Conciseness is key

Be concise. When communicating with any audience, try to avoid using many big words and complicated sentences. In most cases, a simpler, more straightforward approach will be effective in almost every field. In fact, you might even find it helpful to leave some technical details in the footnotes. Keep it brief and relevant, much like good text messages! One of the basic principles of effective communication is “less is more.” You should limit yourself to just a few main points in each set of spoken phrases or paragraphs. This will help keep your message clear and easy to understand. Keep your statements to three or four sentences at most to avoid confusion. You should avoid long sentences. You can break up paragraphs into smaller chunks with subheadings where appropriate. This will help your audience follow along more easily and stay engaged. Since you know your subject and data well, include clear examples to support your points, but never at the price of writing or speaking for too long.

6. Clarity in all things

Finally, speak and write in a clear voice and rehearse out loud, even for a written report! Spoken rehearsals build your confidence and help you determine if the order is logical. When you speak, remember to be as clear as possible. Seek first to be understood, then elicit emotion. Avoid using confusing phrases and tricky language. You want to ensure that your audience fully understands your message. Direct language works with everyone. Be sure to ask for questions at the end.

7. Let's practice!

Here is a clear directive. Complete the following exercises to understand how to identify and communicate with non-technical and technical audiences.

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