Storytelling With Data to Executives

Jim Grayson jgrayson, PhD, Professor, Augusta University

Mia Stephens mia.stephens , JMP Academic Ambassador, SAS

Teaching business analytics to students has its challenges. But while students can typically develop an understanding of tools and techniques used in predictive modeling, they often struggle with communicating what they have learned and explaining the results in the language of the business.Telling the data story to executives is difficult. As analysts we want to impress them with the models we have built and all the hard work we have done. In reality, management is interested first in the conclusion and business impact, and then will ask questions to gauge our competence and credibility and develop confidence in our proposed recommendations or solutions. This talk will illustrate, through a case example, how to effectively tell your data story. We begin by discussing what executives want to hear and the importance of earning trust and credibility with core decision makers. Then we illustrate how to translate statistical conclusions to business results using built-in graphical and visualization tools. We use core features in JMP, including Data Filter, Graph Builder and the Profiler. We also illustrate the use of new features in JMP 13, such as web reporting and interactive dashboards.