In this breakdown, Kate and Thomas watch Ben Wellington's TEDx talk from 2014. It's a brilliant example of data storytelling in action, with Ben consistently giving his audience a reason to care before revealing the detail behind the data.
The talk explores what happens when you give a curious data person access to thousands of datasets about New York City. But also looks at the challenge of data accessibility. A gripping series of stories where creating access to data and curiosity about meaning leads to outcomes for the city.
We break down his clever structure, simple visualisations and knack for answering the "so what?" before his audience has to ask.
What You'll Learn:
• Why you don't always need to start with the background and context
• How Ben creates interest before revealing the detail behind his data
• The value of rounding numbers when precision doesn't matter
• How to pull simple, memorable takeaways from complex data
• Why answering "so what?" makes data immediately more engaging
• How to raise the stakes as a presentation progresses
• Why even excellent visualisations sometimes need more time on screen
• The impact speaking pace and pauses have on an audience's ability to process information
Our Rating:
8/10 from both Kate and Thomas.
Watch It Yourself:
https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_wellington_how_we_found_the_worst_place_to_park_in_new_york_city_using_big_data
Resources:
• Influential Analyst Academy: https://www.blueboxdatastorytelling.com.au/iaa/
• Email us: podcast@presentationboss.com.au
• The Presentation Boss Podcast: presentationboss.com.au/podcast
• Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/data-storytelling
• Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/data-storytelling-au
