Data 101: Communicating Data

Practical Strategies for Effectively Communicating Data

Below are some helpful questions to ask yourself when you begin formulating a plan to communicate your data: 

1. What story do you want to tell from the data?

2. Are you using the right data to tell that story?

3. How should you visualize the data to best tell your story?

4. To what audiences do you want to tell this story?

There are many common terms associated with communicating data, including big data, machine learning, and webscraping. This guide helps define many of these commonly-used terms in data communication: https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/talking-data-like-a-pro-a-plain-english-guide-to-data-analytics/.

Did you know that multiple stories, from multiple angles, can be derived and communicated from a single dataset? Determining how you tell a story using data is important, and understanding how to effectively tell this story ensures that your audience will receive the message you are wanting to convey. Check out this TEDx talk on "The Power in Effective Data Storytelling!

The CMU Libraries Data Collaboration Lab (DataCoLAB) connects the research community across disciplinary borders, and facilitates collaborations between data producers and data scientists. The program connects researchers who want more from their datasets with individuals who have data and computer science skills, creating opportunities for people with different technical and disciplinary backgrounds to work together.

Want to learn more or ask questions? Email dataCoLAB@andrew.cmu.edu.