Class Details
Data Visualisation and Storytelling Course
Course summary
If you want to learn how to better present your data and tell a compelling story with it, then this course is for you.
Companies and people spend huge amounts of time creating and then trying to share data. Being able to tell a story around your data is an important skill, providing insights and informing better decision-making.
In this course, you will learn about the seven principles of data visualisation and storytelling. This course is software agnostic, meaning that you can apply these techniques to data from any analytics tool. Then, whatever software you use to tell your story can be told more simply, understood more easily and used to greater effect.
As part of the course, please bring your own examples. This course is about design thinking and is not reliant on any pre-course knowledge, exposure to specialist data tools or programming language.
Aims
The course aims to work through and teach seven principles of data visualisation. We will then workshop your own examples and put your learning into practice.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- recount the seven principles of data visualisation
- apply the seven principles to a number of different settings
- practice the principles in a class environment
- look at any presentation of information or data, and interpret the common language to be able to critique and think about it.
Content
In this course, you will learn the seven principles of data visualisation:
- Trigger rapid processing
- Maximising data-ink ratio
- Providing focus
- Facilitating comparisons
- Maximising content
- Removing ambiguity
- Storytelling without deception
Who this course is for
Anyone who looks at or prepares packs of information or presentations.
Prerequisites
None
Delivery style
- Mixed lecture style including Q&A, class discussion and example practice
- End of day activity where you can apply the learning to improve the impact on your own presentations
In the normal course structure, we will:
- explain the benefits of visualisation
- provide you with a common language/vocabulary to discuss visualisation within your team
- work through planned examples; and finally
- apply the learnings in a facilitated free form sharing session. This is where you can work on your organisations visualisations and the facilitator can try to assist you.
Parts 1-3 will take anywhere between 3.5-4.5 hours and Part 4 is a free form session.
Delivery mode
Face-to-face, presenter-taught course.
Before the course
This course is about design thinking and is not reliant on any pre-course knowledge or exposure to specialist data tools or programming language. As such, you don’t need to bring a laptop. However please bring along examples of your own data, e.g., reports that your organisation’s leadership team uses. If any information is commercially sensitive, dummy numbers can be used and/or identifying information removed.
Sessions
Location
Face-to-face (CCE Building, Sydney)
Public transport
As bus and train timetables regularly change, we suggest you visit the Transport for NSW trip planner before you set out.
The nearest train stations are Newtown Station and Macdonaldtown Station. Macdonaldtown Station is closer by distance than Newtown Station, however trains do not stop as frequently as at Newtown Station.
Other information
Parking
Nearby parking is available at Wilson Parking - RPA Medical Centre Car Park (entry via Elizabeth Street off Carillon Avenue).
A Flexi Saver Rate is available but must be booked in advance online and includes the booking fee. Bookings can be made via the Wilson website or by downloading the Wilson Parking App. Otherwise, hourly parking rates will apply, as advertised on the Wilson Parking website.
Meet the facilitators
James Hall
James is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a financial analyst with a background in banking and finance, private equity, M&A, and insolvency. He enjoys the creativity needed to help clients manage, understand, and simplify complex problems. He combines his technical financial management skills with qualifications as a corporate coach specialising in emotional intelligence. James is part of the faculty at the Australian Graduate School of Management, where he teaches full-time, online, and executive MBA programs. He also has experience teaching in Europe and Asia.
James has extensive experience in delivering data visualisation training and workshops to clients such as Commonwealth Bank Australia (Treasury team), NSW Treasury, NSW Department of Education, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Coles, Aldi, and Novo Nordisk. He has also worked on the financial modelling of multiple road, rail, ferry, and bus bids and is a vocal advocate of public transport.
