Quote of the week
"Let my dataset change your mindset.” - Hans Rosling
The IOU Canvas (Insight → Orient → Unfold)
Have you ever had your audience in a meeting or during a presentation stare at your chart and ask “So… what am I looking at?”.
If the answer is “yes”, the chart isn’t the problem. It’s the story that’s missing. This week, we’ll use a three-layer canvas to turn raw charts into decisions people can act on.
Insight (headline) State the one thing that matters in plain English: “First-week activation predicts 60-day retention 3× better than any other signal.”
Orient (reduce & label) Grey everything except the data that proves the insight; add one clear label + takeaway arrow.
Unfold (reveal in beats) Talk through a baseline → contrast → consequence (“what this means / what we’ll do”).
Why it works
Clear headlines and step-by-step reveals make data easier to understand. They help people focus instead of getting overwhelmed by too much information at once. When done right, data stops being just decoration and starts helping people make better decisions - which is exactly what the best data storytellers do.
Readers’ Favorites From Past Issues
How To Deliver Riveting Middles
Issue #19
Video
Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic’s, author of Storytelling with Data, shares in this video how we can declutter and focus audience attention using the Insight → Orient → Unfold (IOU) map.
Storytelling with Data | Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic | Talks at Google
Thumbnail from the video
Cole frames two big lessons: focusing attention and telling a story whilst making the distinction between exploratory (you’re looking) vs explanatory (you’re showing one thing to someone specific).
Insight (00:14–00:17) Decide your one sentence before you build the visual; make it the title. Use it as your headline: “First-week activation predicts 60-day retention is 3x better than any other signal.”
Orient (00:10–00:16) Run the “where do your eyes land?” test. Grey the background; use one signal color on the data that proves your point; put words next to the data (not in a legend).
Orient (00:16–00:18) When multiple things shout, nothing’s clear. Reduce competing highlights; establish hierarchy so the message pops instantly.
Unfold (00:22–00:26) Narrate through a baseline → contrast → consequence construct using this template:
Before ……………, we saw ……………. After ……………, we see ……………. So we’ll …………….
Do you struggle to persuade your stakeholders despite having all the data?
The next cohort of Success Through Persuasive Storytelling (rating 4.8/5) with Sri Srikrishna and Bikash Chowdhury starts on Sep 10, 2025. Registrations open.
Try this week (1–3 tasks)
Insight: Write the headline for one slide you already have (≤ 12 words, verb included).
Orient: turn all non-critical marks grey; add one pointed annotation that names the decision.
Unfold: rehearse a 30-second narration using the baseline → contrast → consequence structure . Record and listen once.