Narrative by Numbers

Develop your skills in combining stories and statistics that move others to action through a combination of emotion and logic.

Sam Knowles - Narrative by Numbers

Stories are how we make sense of the world. Emotional stories persuade us to act, particularly when they’re rooted in genuine evidence.

In our data-rich world, storytellers need to deploy facts and evidence as the foundation of stories – not instead of the stories, and not as the actual stories themselves. To be truly persuasive, we need to present data with humanity, empathy, and a respect for the data tolerance of our audience.

Technology, social media, and AI mean there’s more data available than ever before. The trouble is, most people aren’t terribly good at making sense of it, while those who are – the world’s finest planners and researchers – don’t always make the best storytellers.

“Narrative by Numbers” is a hugely popular and always impactful training course that sets out the Six Golden Rules of Data Storytelling. Armed with these rules, you’ll be able to combine stories and statistics to tell more powerful and purposeful stories.

Learning outcomes

• First-hand experience of the tools and techniques required to build convincing stories using data and statistics
• An appreciation of why empathy is the most important skill of the data-driven storyteller
• The inside track on how the best data-driven storytellers do it: from Sport England and Spotify, to easyJet and Tesco

Learning Method

A tried-and-tested blend of theory and practice, with simple and straightforward templates and frameworks introduced and road-tested in individual and team exercises. The course provides ample time for group discussion and individual reflection.

Course Delivery Mode

Online

Trainer Biography

Sam Knowles runs three popular training courses for the Market Research Society: “Asking Smarter Questions”, “How To Be Insightful”, and “Narrative by Numbers”. Since 2015, he’s trained approaching 5,000 people in almost 300 training sessions on the art and science of data storytelling, in person and online. Sam has been a trainer for the MRS since 2018.

As the founder and Chief Data Storyteller of the UK-based consultancy Insight Agents, Sam combines rich consultancy experience with a strategic planner’s facility for turning relevant data into narratives that resonate and campaigns that deliver. His purpose is to help organisations sound like people and to talk that rarest of corporate dialects: ‘Human’.

Sam is the author of the ‘Using Data Better’ trilogy of books with Routledge. This comprises the award-winning Narrative by Numbers (2018), the best-selling How To Be Insightful (2020), and the critically-acclaimed Asking Smarter Questions (2022).

Sam holds a doctorate in experimental psychology, one source of his understanding of human motivation and behaviour and his love of telling stories with data. He is a Fellow of the Market Research Society, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Professional Speaking Association. He chairs the Data Storytelling Council of I-COM, a global association focused on smart data marketing.

An experienced and sought-after keynote speaker, Sam is also a prolific podcaster, as both host and guest. He is the creator and host of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter.

Testimonials

“I just really enjoyed the training. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on what I do and don't do and where I can improve.”

Suzi – Nationwide, October 2024

“A completely new field for me and I really enjoyed Sam's wealth of experience, knowledge and insight on the topic.”

Rachael Lane – Anchor, October 2024

"Good and done in nicely sized chunks."

Miles Lott - Levercliff, May 2023