Artificial intelligence can generate charts, analyze patterns, and process large datasets in seconds. It still cannot replace a marketer’s oldest and most powerful tool: effective storytelling. As privacy regulations reshape data collection, the ability to transform cold, hard numbers into compelling narratives becomes an important differentiator.
Extracting maximum value from limited information is the name of the game. When you can’t rely on endless data streams, the ability to craft meaningful stories from what you have becomes essential for driving action and securing buy-in.
In our conversation with Myriam Jessier, Consultant & Trainer at Neurospicy and PRAGM, we explore why the skill of transforming raw data into narrative is no longer optional. Myriam shares how data storytelling serves as both a bridge between technical and business teams and a future-proof skill where human connection and context remain irreplaceable.
Why storytelling and data work hand-in-hand
Brunni Corsato: So, why bring data into storytelling?
Myriam Jessier: I learned as I became more technical in my career that the more technical you are, the more you have a bias as an expert. The more you can quantify things, the less you deal with feelings. And so when we say “bring data into storytelling,” it’s because nowadays we love to feel reassured. Like we’re in control. We love to feel like there’s a justification for the way things are.
Our brains are pattern detecting machines, we have the running operating system in the back telling a story regarding the data.
Brunni Corsato: What I hear is that data storytelling is the skill that connects feelings and the need for reassurance through numbers. Is that correct?
Myriam Jessier: Yes. Our brain processes information from stories way better than just raw data.
Brunni Corsato: Data is often perceived as either cold, opaque, or out of reach. How to humanize it, and how to bring it into stories?
Myriam Jessier: And the reason why it’s difficult is because you have people that are very good at analyzing the data, but they’re not necessarily good at interacting with humans. That’s a different skill set.
The reality is, we’re using this data that is faulty to try to represent a reality and then we’re surprised when it doesn’t work and we scramble and try to justify what’s going on with even more data that is not necessarily the right thing.
So what do you have when you don’t have enough numbers to justify every little bit? You have stories. And what if the data is key, but the people that are meant to receive it and take action upon it are not as equipped because it’s not their job to do that. Their job is to make decisions. Your job is to become a really good storyteller to get this right.
Brunni Corsato: You’re saying data storytelling is the skill that future-proofs both marketers’ and analysts’ jobs, especially with all AI developments. However, it is difficult to do because no one is really trained for it and marketers are still focused on “let’s get more more data.”
Myriam Jessier: On top of that, you’re not able to necessarily monetize it in the way that you would with data. But at the end of the day, marketing is ultimately telling a good story.
Ultimately, you can have a pile of data on your computer or Google Analytics and if you don’t take any action on it, you’re a custodian for the next person that may use it. Data is not the hero story. It’s more of a supporting actor. Data is supposed to carry the story and reinforce it.
You have to ask yourself, what are you in the business of? As a marketer, if you’re in the business of getting a yes, of showcasing this is the way and this is the action we have to take, you need to be a good storyteller. The end.
How to tell good data stories
Brunni Corsato: What are your tips on good data storytelling, to make sure the message lands with people?
Myriam Jessier: A good story needs a good context. Consider the story from the standpoint of who’s going to be reading it, where they are, what mood they are in. Think about context, basic storytelling, and also think about visuals and colors. Okay, but now there’s so much data that it becomes overwhelming. So consider cognitive load, which is more related to the user experience.
For example, most people will deliver the audit in a Google doc format. If I’m going to prepare an audit, it is either slides or a video because I know that this travels. A few years later, people will still call me, ask questions, etc. about the audit I did years ago.
It may sound trivial, but one of my stakeholders many years ago really enjoyed Disney cruises with his daughter. Did I use a lot of Disney metaphors even though I’ve never been on a Disney cruise? Absolutely. It’s about connecting with humans. Data doesn’t connect. It doesn’t have that ability.
The key differentiating factor now is we can have AI create the charts, but you still have to be able to curate what’s going to make the most impact. Because LLMs don’t have physical touch, they don’t have the lived experience.
Brunni Corsato: Agree. For marketers who are trying to be ahead of the curve, what to do? If you’re an analyst, you only know data, where to even begin?
Myriam Jessier: One of the easiest ways to get started is to have some ad hoc data exploration and try to explain what’s going on to another analyst to make them care.
The approach is, I have a question and I’m diving into the data, trying to connect the dots together. Wait, what does connecting the dots together sound like? Sounds like a story, doesn’t it?
So, I wouldn’t necessarily encourage people to dive into all the data storytelling books and courses.
Brunni Corsato: You mentioned storytelling should not compromise the accuracy of data. What do you mean by that?
Myriam Jessier: Data should never be denatured by a story. If it leads in a direction that the data is not pointing towards, that’s when you know it’s been denatured by the story.
[Economist and Nobel prize winner Ronald Coase] once said “numbers will confess to anything if you torture them long enough.” You have to properly contextualize your data, and if it goes against the story you already have in your head, you need to change the story.
Myriam Jessier brings data to life, transforming numbers into captivating stories that spark action. With a knack for making the complex delightfully clear, they empower teams to see — and seize — the opportunities hidden in every dataset.
Get to know more about their work with Neurospicy Agency here and certified Google Analytics Agency PRAGM here.
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