Turning simple data into a compelling story? Here’s how you do it!
The ability to present information and turn it into a compelling and emotionally impactful story is an indispensable quality for creating effective presentations.
It sounds a bit like a cliché, but it is an absolute truth.
But, you know what they say, easier said than done: it’s one thing to talk about storytelling and its importance, it’s another to be able to put it into practice.
I have spoken a lot about this topic in my books, in my courses and on my blog, but in this article I would like to approach it from a different point of view than usual.
I have decided to analyse 3 examples of business storytelling, highlighting what makes them so effective and why they have been so successful. This will give you a better insight into how the technique of storytelling is applied in a practical way: it will help you get ideas on how to make your presentations even more effective!
Apple’s annual sustainability report
Apple’s video known as ‘Mother Nature’ is a perfect example of storytelling in the corporate world.
Let’s watch it together.
Fantastic, don’t you think?
This video has gone viral on social media for its unique ability to present Apple’s Corporate Social Responsibility report in a completely innovative and engaging way.
In the beginning we see Mother Nature visiting Apple, a narrative element that immediately grabs the attention. She is here to see the company’s progress in terms of sustainability.
The scene takes place in a corporate environment, and even Apple CEO Tim Cook is present.
Pay attention to the dynamics of the meeting: the tension is palpable. Everyone is looking around, trying to see who might have the answer to Mother Nature’s pressing questions.
Even Tim Cook looks rather nervous! A detail that makes everything much more realistic and ‘relatable’. This is pure storytelling: it humanises the CEO and makes the story something we can all identify with.
Let us now move on to a key aspect of this video: its length.
We are living in a historical moment in which short content dominates: the videos that command the most are those that last a few tens of seconds at most, in accordance with the phenomenon of reduced attention spans that characterises the new generations.
But Apple’s video lasts a good 5 minutes! 5 minutes in which, from first to last, we are completely immersed in this compelling narrative.
Not bad in a visual content scenario increasingly full of shorts, don’t you think?
In short, a presentation of an annual report, which we all imagine as boring and full of numbers and boring statistics is transformed into an exciting and engaging tale, capable of capturing the viewers’ attention from start to finish.
A masterpiece of data storytelling, a subject I have also talked a lot about in my new book ‘Presenting Data‘.
Read also: Storytelling techniques for presentations [Real case study]
Grammarly’s newsletters
Let’s go to the second example, talking about Grammarly.
Are you familiar with this service?
It is great for improving accuracy when using a language and I use it regularly for English. I like it so much that I bought the Pro version!
Every week I receive newsletters from Grammarly containing a report on the results I have achieved using the service.
Now, this may sound odd to you, but these newsletters are another powerful example of effective storytelling.
Take a look at the one below.
See how it starts?
“Someone has had a truly epic week! Unlocking new achievement badges and setting personal records – you’re really making the magic happen. Way to go!”
Observe the language with which he addresses me: he is very direct and friendly and speaks as if he has some curiosities about me in store that I am enticed to know.
But above all, he is totally putting the audience at the centre of attention, one of the cardinal concepts in Lean Presentation Design. It talks about me to me, the same way I would talk about myself!
On the other hand, although it may sound like a cliché, we know very well that people are more interested in hearing about themselves than they are in hearing about anyone else. A valuable lesson for us who work in presentations: let’s not turn the presentation into a showcase focused on ourselves. rather, let’s talk to people about what they really care about – themselves and their problems.
Look at how the newsletter continues, turning simple data into a story.
What we see is just a series of numbers, but again they turn into a story. And, above all, it’s a story that I’m interested in following because it gives me very useful information to fulfil my need, which is to perfect my use of the English language.
As you can see, he tells me the results he has achieved in productivity and mastery in the use of the language, even comparing my performance with that of other users.
Then he goes on to analyse my tone of voice, another very interesting piece of information that gives me valuable insights into the way I write.
And finally, it points out my most common mistakes and suggests how to solve them.
In short, it is true that this is a newsletter that tells numbers, but the way it does it is totally different from what we might expect and, above all, extremely useful for me, because it offers me something that, without the newsletter itself, I would not have had.
The video celebrating 25 years of Google Search
This video embodies another outstanding example of storytelling in the digital realm.
Google’s habit of releasing content showing the most popular searches is certainly nothing new. In this video, released for the Google’s 25th anniversary event, however, the company has really outdone itself.
We are still dealing with content that, basically, we would expect as a simple list of data. But the data itself is once again transformed into a compelling story, reflecting the interests, passions and concerns of people across the globe.
Its strength lies in its ability to create a deep emotional connection with the audience, using a clever mix of user-generated videos and stock videos. The beginning is particularly powerful, with a few clips capturing the Apollo 11 mission, then quickly moving from theme to theme, from sport to pop music, passing through topics of strong emotional impact such as the memory of 9/11 and the consequences of global warming.
Each segment is carefully chosen to thematically capture specific researches from 2023. These topics, at first sight simple research data, turn into real emotional narratives when combined with user-generated content expressing the reasons behind the popularity of this research, thus offering a deeper and more personal interpretation of the data.
The video masterfully manages to evoke a broad spectrum of emotions – from fear to nostalgia, from happiness to surprise – allowing viewers to see themselves in the content and stories being told. An empathic relationship is thus established between the viewer and the video, which becomes a mirror of collective experiences. This ability to reflect universal themes and to surprise with unexpected content makes the content not only a source of information, but a window on the world and its dynamics.
Read also: AI Data Storytelling
In conclusion
Have you seen how cold data and information with no appeal can literally come to life through good storytelling?
The examples I have shown you are masterful in building an emotional bond with the viewers and engaging them throughout the entire experience, even though it only lasts a few minutes, whether in the case of the Apple and Google videos or reading the Grammarly newsletter!
Those who work with presentations on a daily basis, on the other hand, often have to keep the audience’s attention for much longer than a few minutes. But thanks to storytelling, and all the other best practices I talk about in my blog, the task is by no means impossible!
I hope you find this article helpful in perfecting your work, and if you want to find out more tips on this topic, I suggest you take a look at the other content on my blog.
See you next time!
Takeaways
- The art of storytelling transforms standard information into engaging and memorable narratives. This technique is crucial for creating effective presentations, as it captures the audience’s attention and makes the message more accessible and impactful.
- Apple’s ‘Mother Nature’ video demonstrates how an innovative approach to storytelling can turn a corporate report on topics such as sustainability into an engaging experience. The personification of Mother Nature and the humanization of the characters, including the CEO figure, create a story that is easy to identify with and learn from.
- Grammarly excels at narrating personal data through its newsletters. The transformation of statistics into a personalised and direct narrative demonstrates the importance of turning the focus to the person, making the information not only interesting, but also directly applicable to the recipient’s life.
- Google Search’s 25th anniversary video illustrates how the skilful use of user-generated videos and the choice of universal themes can evoke a strong emotional connection. This kind of storytelling reflects global interests and concerns, making search data more than just numbers, but rather a mirror of collective human experiences.
FAQs
What makes Apple’s annual sustainability report video effective?
Apple’s ‘Mother Nature’ video is effective due to its innovative storytelling approach. It personifies Mother Nature visiting Apple, which immediately grabs attention. The video humanizes Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, making the narrative relatable. Despite its length of 5 minutes, it maintains viewer engagement through a compelling story, transforming a typically boring annual report into an exciting and engaging tale.
How does Grammarly’s newsletter use storytelling?
Grammarly’s newsletters use storytelling by transforming simple data into a personal and engaging narrative. They address the reader directly, making the audience the center of attention. The newsletters provide detailed statistics on the reader’s performance, compare it with other users, and offer insights into writing style and common mistakes. This approach turns a series of numbers into a useful and interesting story for the reader.
Why is the Google Search 25th anniversary video a great example of storytelling?
The Google Search 25th anniversary video is a great example of storytelling because it transforms search data into an emotional narrative. The video uses user-generated and stock videos to reflect global interests, passions, and concerns. It evokes a wide range of emotions by highlighting themes from historical events to popular culture, creating a deep emotional connection with the audience. This storytelling technique makes the data relatable and engaging.
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