Hi #SmartCommunity friends, in this episode of the Smart Community podcast I have a brilliant discussion with Paul Hodge, also known as The Data Viz Guy. Paul is an independent consultant specialising in education and mentoring around data visualisation and storytelling, working with global organisations and state and federal government agencies.
In this episode Paul tells us about the three core principles of his training: engaging and holding audience attention, delivering insights rather than just data, and bringing it all together through design thinking. We discuss the importance of defining specific audiences rather than being too general, including a detailed case study of a data asset portfolio that used a heat map to identify high-risk assets. We talk about Randy Olson’s ABT structure (And, But, Therefore) as the simplest form of storytelling.
We finish our chat discussing impactful visualisations like the 9/11 Memorial’s algorithmically determined name placement and the Periscopic gun deaths visualisation showing lost years to society. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.
What we cover in this episode:
- Establishing a common vocabulary and framework for data visualisation to enable constructive critiques and goal-focused communication across organisations
- The three core principles: engaging and holding audience attention, delivering insights rather than data, and presenting information through design thinking
- Why understanding the “why” behind audience needs is more important than just knowing what questions they want answered—focusing on decisions and actions
- The critical importance of defining specific audiences rather than being too general, making it “specifically useful to one person” rather than “average for everyone”
- A case study transforming a data asset spreadsheet into an action-oriented heat map that identified one critical high-risk asset and enabled executive alerts
- The ABT structure (And, But, Therefore) as the simplest story framework, providing context, highlighting exceptions, and concluding with actionable takeaways
- The narrative spectrum from discovery (validating data) through explore (curated dashboards) to tell (presentation mode with infographics or PowerPoint)
- The 9/11 Memorial’s algorithmically determined name placement as emotional data visualisation grouping by company, family, and friendship rather than alphabetical order
Quotes:
“The longer that we can keep people’s attention, the more likely we are to communicate interesting insights to them. One thing is getting their attention and holding that attention.”
“Most people don’t think strongly enough about the why. Why does somebody want this information?.. What is the decision that they need to make? What is the action that they’re going to take?”
“I would argue that it’s better to be too specific than too general [with your audience definition]. If you make it very specific for an individual person, at least you know what you are creating is going to be of benefit to that one person.”
“Randy Olson’s ABT structure—And, But, Therefore—is the simplest form of a story. The And is setting up what you’re talking about, the But is the exception you found, and Therefore is what we take away or what action we should take.”
Links:
- Randy Olson’s book Narrative is Everything
- The 9/11 Memorial reflective pools and algorithmic name placement project
- Periscope gun deaths visualisation
- Committee for the Protection of Journalism (CPJ) data set and API
Connect:
Connect with Paul Hodge on LinkedIn
Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community
Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn and watch on YouTube
Podcast Production by Perk Digital
This podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kabi Kabi peoples and edited on the lands of the Gaibal peoples. I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.
Disclaimer
The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by guests on The Smart Community Podcast are solely those of the individual speakers. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the host, Zoe Eather, or of The Smart Community Podcast as a whole.
Any discussion of ideas, products, organisations, or services by podcast guests does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the host or the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and seek professional advice where appropriate.
