# Storytelling with Data Using Excel Course Canonical URL: ## Overview This course teaches you the fundamentals of data visualization and how to communicate effectively with data. You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory but made accessible through numerous real-world examples—ready for immediate application to your next graph or presentation. Storytelling is not an inherent skill, especially when it comes to data visualization, and the tools at our disposal don't make it any easier. This book demonstrates how to go beyond conventional tools to reach the root of your data, and how to use your data to create an engaging, informative, compelling story. ## What you'll learn - Understand the importance of context. - Determine the appropriate type of graph. - Recognize and eliminate the clutter. - Direct your audience's attention. - Think like a designer when visualizing data. - Leverage the power of storytelling to help your message resonate with your audience. ## Curriculum **Module 1: The Importance of Context** - Exploratory vs. Analysis - Who, What, and How - Consulting for Context: Questions to Ask - The 3-Minute Story & Big Idea - Storyboarding **Module 2: Choosing an Effective Visual** - Simple Text - Tables - Graphs - Points - Scatterplot - Lines - Line Graph - Slopegraph - Bars - Vertical Bar Chart - Stacked Vertical Bar Chart - Waterfall Chart - Horizontal Bar Chart - Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart - Area - More Graphs - What to Avoid **Module 3: Clutter is Your Enemy!** - Cognitive Load - Clutter - Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception - Lack of Visual Order - White Space - Non-Strategic Use of Contrast - Decluttering: Step-by –Step **Module 4: Focus Your Audience’s Attention** - You See with Your Brain - A Brief Lesson on Memory - Iconic Memory - Short-Term Memory - Long-Term Memory - Preattentive Attributes Signal Where to Look - Preattentive Attributes in Text - Preattentive Attributes in Graphs - Size & Color **Module 5: Think like a Designer** - Affordances - Accessibility - Aesthetics - Acceptance **Module 6: Dissecting Model Visuals** - Line Graph - Annotated Line Graph with Forecast - 100% Stacked Bars - Leveraging Positive and Negative Stacked Bars **Module 7: Lessons in Storytelling** - The Magic of Story - Constructing the Story - The Narrative Structure - The Power of Repetition - Tactics for a Clear Story **Module 8: Pulling it All Together** - Understand the Context - Choose an Appropriate Display - Eliminate Clutter - Draw the Right Attention - Think Like a Designer - Tell a Story ## Instructors ### Bruce Gay — Instructor Bruce is an engaging trainers and program manager who brings 25+ years practical experience to deliver effective and experiential training to students. Able to engage adult learners with a range of backgrounds and professional experiences. Successful at building effective stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams for solution delivery. Bruce has over 25 years of project and program management experience across multiple industries. He has a Masters degree from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Bruce currently runs his own freelance training and consulting business, helping project managers and team leaders improve their business skills, become better leaders, and achieve professional greatness. Bruce is a well-received speaker in the areas of design thinking, project management, cross-team collaboration, and AI tools for projects, and has presented at regional and international conferences. ### Steve Pesklo — Instructor Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance. Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years. Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). ### Joe Mlakar — Instructor Joe has over 27 years of Federal Government and military service and has been a part-time instructor with Graduate School USA since 2023. He enjoys using his technical knowledge in Operations Research to teach his students to provide organization and structure to complex processes, and apply advanced analytical techniques to help leaders make better decisions. Joe is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $399