- 22 minutes 56 secondsusing X-RAY vision to learn from others' graphs
What can you learn from a chart you admire—or one that breaks the rules?
In this episode, Ryan Biesecker introduces Alli's X-RAY technique, a simple framework for analyzing what makes a graph memorable or effective. Through examples from the storytelling with data community, discover clever design choices, surprising rule-breakers, and practical ideas you can borrow to improve your own visualizations.
RELATED LINKS
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/119
Register for one of our public workshops in 2027!
Use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!
Contact Jody to inquire about a private team training session
XRAY Oct 2026 community challenge
She's Beautiful, shared by Britney
IPCC summary for policymakers, shared by Steven
A View on Despair, shared by Robyn
Furniture lost its colour, shared by Jian
Podcast | use a bump chart to reveal who's rising and falling
Challenge | SWD mapping with purpose
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): Call or text 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential support 24/7.
4 November 2026, 9:00 am - 38 minutes 22 secondsborrow these 3 musical techniques for better presentations with Duncan Geere and Miriam Quick
What can data storytellers learn from musicians? More than you might think!
In this episode, Alli Torban talks with Duncan Geere and Miriam Quick of Loud Numbers, who turn data into music. Discover how to pace your presentation to keep your audience engaged, use repetition to make your key message stick, and create contrast to draw attention to what matters most. Plus, hear a clip of their latest project, The Financial Symphony, and learn how to make your next data story sing.
LINKED MENTIONED
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/118
- Register for the Nov 5th live, public workshop (use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!)
- Listen to the whole song The Financial Symphony on Spotify
- Watch the “Behind the Scenes” video of making The Financial Symphony
- Miriam and Duncan’s data sonification workshop
- Check out the Loud Numbers podcast
- Giorgia Lupi’s article on Data Humanism
28 October 2026, 8:00 am - 51 minutes 23 secondshow to win over a tough audience
“We’ve already tried that.”
“Those numbers don’t look right.”
“I’m not convinced.”
What do you do when your audience pushes back on your data or recommendations?
In this episode, Alli and Simon tackle eight common questions from storytelling with data workshops about winning over a tough audience. From handling disagreement and challenging questions to presenting unpopular findings, they share practical strategies to build trust, navigate resistance, and turn tense presentations into productive conversations.
Show notes:
https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/117
LINK MENTIONED:
Register for the Nov 5th live, public workshop
Use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!
Should you begin or end with your recommendation? — Article with a flowchart to help decide when to share your recommendation.
How to build trust with your audience — Strategies for establishing credibility and strengthening relationships over time.
How much detail should you include in a presentation? — Guidance on balancing supporting information with a clear message.
The art of delivering bad results — How to communicate unexpected or disappointing findings.
Tailoring charts to different audiences — Community challenge featuring two versions of the same chart, one for a technical audience and one for a general audience.
Integrating qualitative data into your data story — Tips for combining numbers with other qualitative evidence.
The Big Idea worksheet — A free exercise for identifying what matters to different audiences and finding common ground.
How to avoid bias in data storytelling — An article by Cole about recommendations, objectivity, and bias.
21 October 2026, 8:00 am - 15 minutes 16 secondsuse a bump chart to reveal who’s rising and falling
Bump charts are great at showing who's rising, who's falling, and who's staying on top—but they don't tell you the whole story.
In this episode, Alli explains what a bump chart is, when to use one, and what to watch out for when comparing rankings instead of actual values. Plus, she highlights three creative examples from the storytelling with data community that use color, added context, and an unexpected layout to make changes in rankings easier to see and understand.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/116
Register for the Nov 5th live, public workshop
Use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!
Datawrapper: How to create a Bump Chart (Article)
14 October 2026, 8:00 am - 7 minutes 40 secondsstop trying to eliminate bias from your data story
Does telling a story with data introduce bias? In this episode, Cole explores the tension between objectivity and perspective—and why simply “showing the data” isn’t as neutral as it may seem. If you’ve ever worried that storytelling could compromise rigor, learn how to bring your expertise and point of view to the data while still communicating uncertainty, limitations, and alternative interpretations responsibly.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/115
Article: lead with story
Article: so what?
7 October 2026, 8:00 am - 49 minutes 11 secondsAI does (and does not) work for data storytelling
Cole recently appeared on the Analytics Power Hour, and this was such a great conversation, we're rebroadcasting it here!
————
There’s a version of this episode where AI replaces the data visualization expert entirely, and there’s a version where it’s useless without one. Neither is quite right, according to Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic of Storytelling with Data, who joined Tim, Moe, and Julie to sort out where AI genuinely earns its keep in data storytelling and where it’s just producing a shinier first draft of the same shitty slide. Cole—admittedly a skeptic-turned-convert who once joked she’d retire before having to deal with any of this—walks through why the humans who benefit most from AI are the ones who already have the foundation to know when to ignore it, why “let me look at some options” beats “give me the final chart” as a prompt, and why the analog, pencil-and-paper parts of the process might be the most valuable friction in the whole workflow. Bring your own opinions on whether Claude should ever be handed “the rules” and told to just go.
RESOURCED MENTIONED:
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/114
30 September 2026, 8:00 am - 10 minutes 37 secondsworth your time: 3 Outlier talks about dataviz & AI
What can AI help us see, try, or explore that we couldn’t easily do before? Alli shares three standout talks from the 2026 Outlier conference—and three lessons for using AI in data visualization:
- Use AI to expand your options without outsourcing your judgment.
- Give AI the information it needs to critique its work.
- Use AI to find what’s worth visualizing in the first place.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/113
23 September 2026, 8:00 am - 29 minutes 1 seconddesigning transitions
What happens in the space between one thing and the next? Whether you’re moving from email to deep thinking, analysis to communication, or one idea to another, these shifts require time and mental energy.
In this episode, Cole explores how thoughtfully designing transitions can help you work, think, and communicate more effectively. Discover practical ways to use time, space, movement, and other cues to shift your mindset—and help your audience follow your story. Small changes in how you get from here to there can make a surprisingly big difference.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/112
- Join the next cohort of our public 8-week online course: plan, create & deliver - use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!
- Book your storytelling with data team training!
- Episode 83: reflect & refine (sharing statio, a meditative pause during a transition)
- Episode 6: say it out loud
- Episode 86: speak so others listen
16 September 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 41 secondswaterfall charts: what they are and how to use them
Waterfall charts are great at showing what happened between where you started and where you ended—but they can look a little strange if you’ve never encountered one before.
In this episode, Alli explains what a waterfall chart is, when to use one, and how to make it easier for your audience to read. Plus, she highlights three clever examples from the storytelling with data community that use color, annotations, and even small multiples to make the most of this less-common chart type.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
9 September 2026, 8:00 am - 27 minutes 41 secondslook more confident presenting with these simple tweaks with guest Jay Sullivan
Conveying confidence when presenting often comes down to a few small, intentional choices. Jay Sullivan, author of Simply Said and communication expert at Exec|Comm, shares three simple tweaks that can make an immediate difference.
You’ll learn:
- his smart approach to eye contact
- what the “Arc of Silence” is and how to use it
- the helpful acronym “RIDE” to clearly explain a chart that you’re presenting
Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/110
RELATED LINKS
Simply Said by Jay Sullivan
More about Jay’s work at Exec|Comm
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
2 September 2026, 8:00 am - 16 minutes 35 secondshow to build tension in your data story
Want to make your data story more engaging? Try adding a little tension. Join data storyteller Alli Torban as she explores how tension can create curiosity and keep your audience invested in your story.
You’ll learn three simple ways to build tension—expectation versus reality, knowledge tension, and action tension—and see how members of the storytelling with data community put each technique into practice.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Register for our 8-week online course: plan, create, and deliver your data story. September 28th–November 22nd, 2026.
Use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off your registration!
Join the storytelling with data community!
Look through the community exercise submissions for building tension
Podcast: help! my data story feels boring
26 August 2026, 8:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App