storytelling with data podcast

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**storytelling with data podcast**

Rid your world of ineffective graphs and mediocre presentations, one exploding 3D pie chart at a time! The storytelling with data podcast from bestselling author, speaker and workshop guru, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic covers topics related to data storytelling, better presentations, and all things data viz.

Latest Episodes:

how to win over a tough audience Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

“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.

use a bump chart to reveal who’s rising and falling Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

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!
September community challenge about bump charts
Datawrapper: How to create a Bump Chart (Article)
Jon Schwabish: Create a Bump Chart in Flourish (Video)
Jon Schwabish: Create a Bump Chart in Excel (Article)

stop trying to eliminate bias from your data story Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

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
Schedule your storytelling with data team training
Download our free SWD + AI Primer PDF document
Article: lead with story
Article: so what?

AI does (and does not) work for data storytelling Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

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:

worth your time: 3 Outlier talks about dataviz & AI Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

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:

designing transitions Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

waterfall charts: what they are and how to use them Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

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:

look more confident presenting with these simple tweaks with guest Jay Sullivan Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

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: