During my MBA one of my favorite classes was Customer Analytics. Our professor was an absolute data baller who personally consulted Mark Zuckerberg and leaders at Facebook on the side. He shared a story that is great for this time of year that illustrates the critical miss many leaders get when thinking about data and its value.
One Christmas morning a young boy woke up early before anyone else in the home to take a peak at the Christmas tree. There were the typical presents, which were always exciting, but what got him the most excited was next to the Christmas tree was a mountain of...poop (word edited). He couldn't believe how big the pile of poop was. Immediately in excitement, like Scrooge McDuck from Duck Tales (generational test here), he jump and dove head first in the poop. His parents heard loud noise and walked down the stairs. To their horror they found their son immersed in the pile of poop from head to toe. The yelled with curiosity, "Son, why are you wrestling around in that huge pile of poop?"
The boy answered with a smile on his face, "with this much poop in one spot, there HAS TO BE A PONY SOMEWHERE NEARBY!"
Oftentimes in business, we think that just because there's data, insights are bound to be found. However, intentional data strategy is led by business questions, which in turn drive which data need be collected to provide the actionable insights.
It's also a really salient point. Just because there is a lot of data, it doesn't mean that there's a golden nugget (insight) to be found. You hit the nail on the head: The generation of data should come from the asking of a question(s) instead of the other way around.
Simple tips, but so helpful! Love your thoughts on effective titles. Your audience will read that first, so why not tell them exactly what story you're trying to tell?
One is "Problem Solving 101: A simple book for smart people" (by Ken Watanabe)
The other is an online course called the "Analyst Academy" (link below). This is a course run by a former MBB/Deloitte consultant who has really practical tips/advice on building powerful data-storytelling slides in PPT. He has a YouTube channel as well.
During my MBA one of my favorite classes was Customer Analytics. Our professor was an absolute data baller who personally consulted Mark Zuckerberg and leaders at Facebook on the side. He shared a story that is great for this time of year that illustrates the critical miss many leaders get when thinking about data and its value.
One Christmas morning a young boy woke up early before anyone else in the home to take a peak at the Christmas tree. There were the typical presents, which were always exciting, but what got him the most excited was next to the Christmas tree was a mountain of...poop (word edited). He couldn't believe how big the pile of poop was. Immediately in excitement, like Scrooge McDuck from Duck Tales (generational test here), he jump and dove head first in the poop. His parents heard loud noise and walked down the stairs. To their horror they found their son immersed in the pile of poop from head to toe. The yelled with curiosity, "Son, why are you wrestling around in that huge pile of poop?"
The boy answered with a smile on his face, "with this much poop in one spot, there HAS TO BE A PONY SOMEWHERE NEARBY!"
Oftentimes in business, we think that just because there's data, insights are bound to be found. However, intentional data strategy is led by business questions, which in turn drive which data need be collected to provide the actionable insights.
Congrats on the blog. Good reads!
That is a fantastic story :)
It's also a really salient point. Just because there is a lot of data, it doesn't mean that there's a golden nugget (insight) to be found. You hit the nail on the head: The generation of data should come from the asking of a question(s) instead of the other way around.
Simple tips, but so helpful! Love your thoughts on effective titles. Your audience will read that first, so why not tell them exactly what story you're trying to tell?
I like these tips, never thought about the Z reading, gonna nab that for my future slide decks, thanks fellas!
Glad it's helpful! We always talk about Z reading with literature, but never think to put it in the context of slides or business presentations.
I just read a few books about how to tell stories through data presentation. Do you have favorite books or other learning/teaching resources?
There are 2 that I really love.
One is "Problem Solving 101: A simple book for smart people" (by Ken Watanabe)
The other is an online course called the "Analyst Academy" (link below). This is a course run by a former MBB/Deloitte consultant who has really practical tips/advice on building powerful data-storytelling slides in PPT. He has a YouTube channel as well.
https://www.theanalystacademy.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYymk9BoNUc8VQpFW43Cr7YY2whnJm4fIdHB74CuvOuce3mK9acqWpj4aAqQEEALw_wcB
Great read!