Communicating a Message
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A message is what we want to transmit to our audience. A message differs from an insight, which is what we discover in the data. As previously stated, a message brings a moral or life lesson, inspires and motivates the audience, and even invites them to act in some way.
We need to keep the message as concrete as possible.
Abstract Messages vs. Concrete Messages
Abstract Message | Concrete Message | |
Main Characteristic | Vague and open to interpretation | Clear, concise |
Understandability | Difficult to understand | Easy to understand |
Example | The graph shows an increase in customer demand | Our company needs at least three developers to meet the increasing demand from customers |
It is not a data story without a message. Think, for example, of the fables of Phaedrus, a famous Roman writer of the first century. There is always a message in his stories, which invites the reader to reflect. Similarly, any story, whether data-driven or not, must communicate a message. This is necessary if we want our data stories to have an effect.
Note: Always keep in mind that every data story must convey only one message each. ...