People who can make sense of data through a storytelling lens are rare and special. We have more information at our fingertips than ever before, but knowing what the numbers mean – and helping another human being understand why they matter – is an entirely different skill.

As a Professor of Data Communication and Analytics at Wake Forest University School of Business, Elizabeth Ricks has shaped a career teaching people how to do just that, helping them turn complicated charts, spreadsheets, and presentations into stories that people can actually understand and act on. What I especially appreciate about Elizabeth's approach is that she starts with the human being on the receiving end of the information, not the information itself.

In this week's Q&A, Elizabeth shares more about what happens when data fails to connect, why AI can't replace good judgment, and the often-overlooked work of pushing through the messy middle. I'm happy for you to meet Elizabeth and learn a little more about how she thinks. 

— meg

toth shop (ts): In 10 words or less, how do you define “data storytelling?”

Elizabeth Ricks (ER): Communicating with data so people understand and act. 

ts: Can you think of a time when you watched a chart or presentation completely fail to land with an audience – and what did that teach you about the gap between data and communication?

ER: Yes! It was my own presentation, and the year was 2015. I was working as a marketing analyst at Bank of America Merchant Services and was responsible for analyzing our sales process and providing my findings to my business partners. I spent a ton of time on my analysis and didn’t give any thought to how I was sharing my findings (the graphs I used, the busy slides, the amount of detail I was asking my audience to consume at once), but the biggest learning was that nowhere in my own analytical process had I ever considered my audience’s needs. When shifting between analyzing data and communicating data, that’s the most important thing to consider if you want your work to make sense and inspire action. 

ts: What made you leave the corporate/consulting world to teach full-time?

ER: I left corporate and started teaching full-time when I realized there was such a need to learn these skills because we haven’t traditionally been taught them in school! We’ve all seen a graph or sat through a presentation and thought, “I’m not sure what I’m meant to get out of this.” However, the good news is that the basic principles of communicating with data are easy to learn and don’t take a long time to start seeing impact. 

ts: With AI tools now able to generate charts and even "insights" instantly, what do you think separates a good data storyteller from a good prompt? 

ER: AI can do all of that in seconds, yes, but it doesn’t mean that it’s good. It’s the storyteller who knows the business, the context, the audience and what makes them tick. I consider AI-generated anything to be a first draft, and it’s our job to decide what matters/resonates. 

ts: Every person we interview answers this same question last – Mile 18 is generally considered to be one of the hardest miles in a marathon. You’re hitting a wall. You’re forced to dig deep. What’s mile 18 in your line of work, or at a point in your career, and what do you tell yourself when you find yourself in the middle of a mile 18?

ER: Mile 18 for me is the middle of a project, after the exciting part is over. I usually decide the end (defining what success looks like) and have momentum to get started, but the messy middle is finding time & pushing forward when all the other stuff that competes for attention is on top of the task/project. Nobody claps for that part, only the end result.