It’s a warm spring morning in Joburg, as I sit here in my kitchen, sipping my first coffee of the day. I am filled with gratitude, reflecting on the past few weeks building up to, and finally conducting my single largest data storytelling training session to date.
Data Storytelling has almost become a cliche in the data and business world. Many people think it is simply presenting data, but very few people understand it to be a critical skill that allows one to leverage data to help create compelling narratives that improve decision-making and inspire action.
I was nervous when registrations opened for the inaugural group-wide Sanlam Data Week but that nervousness quickly turned into excitement as I received updates that registrations for my masterclass were leading the way compared to the other masterclasses. The final update was that my masterclass was fully booked!
With all preparations completed and moments to go before my masterclass was about to start, I was told that the speaker on the main stage was running late. How would this affect the attendance at my masterclass?
The moderator and I decided to delay our start by 5 minutes and my heart warmed as delegates started entering the venue. Delegates who were unable to attend in person were able to connect online.
I expected about 35 delegates on the day and with seconds to go, the moderator leaned over to me and said that our attendance had reached 85! 25 in-person and 60 online!
As I presented my slides, I took the attendees on a data storytelling journey that used simple steps to turn disparate data, and inconsistent and cluttered visuals into a compelling narrative that inspired action.
It was an enjoyable and very interactive session with individuals nodding, smiling, and chuckling as points in my story resonated with them.
Thank you again to everyone who attended. You made the session truly memorable!
A post-conference survey reflected that almost 9 out of every 10 attendees of my masterclass found it to be highly valuable.
It was an absolute honour to share the stage with companies like Microsoft, AWS and DAMA, and legendary speakers such as Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Howard Diesel, Maritza Curry, Alicia Narainsamy, Andre Fredericks, Candice Witbooi ,Cindy Ohlson, Heidi Johnson, Dr. Jerry C., Karin Muller, Dr. Jeanne Fredericks, Marelize Visser, Ncumisa Hlapo, Ruan Snijder, Ruth Hartman, Thembi Manyike, Yasir Gamieldien, Resham Sivnarain, Rishi Nalin Kumar, and Shabbeer Omar.
A huge thanks to Leon Hendricks and the DLK Group for the opportunity to work with your amazing team!