Rutgers webinar outlines five steps to accurate, memorable data storytelling for community programs

Rebecca Martin, administrative project manager for the Inclusive Healthy Communities and Age-Friendly Grants programs at Rutgers Blaustein School of Planning and Public Policy, opened a virtual training on data storytelling and introduced Lindy Ryan, a Rutgers professor and cofounder of Radiant Advisors.

Ryan said data storytelling should be treated as a translation process that turns analysis into a narrative that activates memory and emotion while remaining factually correct. "Data stories are not data stories if they are anything other than absolute fact," she said, stressing that visual techniques must not distort the underlying information.

Using historical examples, Ryan showed how a single visualization can make a complex event easier to grasp. She described Charles Minard’s famous graphic of Napoleon’s 1812 campaign—which, she said, visualizes troop counts falling from roughly 422,000 to 100,000 and returning with about 10,000—to illustrate how design choices can encode both numbers and human drama.

Ryan offered five practical steps for building data stories. First, find data that supports a coherent narrative and test hypotheses against context and complexity. Second, layer information so audiences gain understanding incrementally. Third, design visualizations to reveal the insight rather than obscure it—for example, animated state-by-state views for geographic disparities. Fourth, "beware of the false reveal," she said, warning that decorative effects (3‑D, misleading color or slanted axes) can lead viewers to incorrect conclusions. Fifth, tell stories quickly and include time stamps for rapidly changing events.

She contrasted a plain bar chart with a hand-drawn, figurative "monster" graphic (published in The Economist in the 1980s) to show how creative visuals can make the same data more memorable while introducing analytic trade-offs, such as harder-to-read axes or implied bias. Ryan advised that editors and peer reviewers be used to ensure the visual emphasizes the correct takeaway.

On tools and training, Ryan recommended Tableau as a leading tool for building visual data stories and cited job-market data showing a marked rise in demand for Tableau skills (she said Tableau appeared in about 75% of the sampled analytics job postings at the end of 2024). She pointed attendees to free resources, including Tableau Public and Salesforce’s Trailhead modules, and offered to answer follow-up questions by email at lindy.ryan@rutgers.

During a brief Q&A, a participant identified by the host as Kathleen thanked the presenter; another participant, Julia, asked how to craft posts about healthy aging for professional audiences. Ryan encouraged peer review and testing drafts with people who understand the data and context to make sure the intended message is received.

Rebecca Martin closed the webinar by thanking partner agencies and offering continued support from the Inclusive Healthy Communities and Age-Friendly Grants teams for attendees working on data stories.

The webinar focused on practical, nontechnical techniques for program staff and community partners to present data clearly and responsibly; Ryan shared training links and an offer of follow-up support.