Data doesn't speak for itself: Why data storytelling is so important by/via @YellowfinBI

“Letting the data speak for itself” is a well-known phrase with a hard truth: Data presented on its own rarely communicates meaning for itself. For most people, it’s the context behind the numbers, the story, that helps us understand and care to act.

This is so true - you have to try and tell a story with the data that you find and analyse if you want to communicate it adequately to others - if you don't do that then you have failed and it was almost a waste of time to look at it to start with. We all need to tell the story well enough that we bring those reading it with us - get them to believe and be invested in what you are saying. We can all learn from sales techniques when it comes to selling a vision with data.