By Laura Templeton

Each year, influencers post their top reading lists. While I’m not Bill Gates or Oprah, my favorite read of 2017 prompted several “ah-ha” moments as I poured through the book each evening. Good Charts: The Harvard Business Review Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations marries geeky data with business and psychology principles to relay the secret behind storytelling with charts.

I am not a data analyst, I’m not even all that good with numbers, but I love a good chart. And I’m not alone. Data is the new language of business. But the tenants of storytelling are what make data meaningful. Even when working with data, it’s ultimately about your message. Experts at Harvard say not to start with data, but start with the idea you want to convey, and let these tips guide you.

Substance before style

Spend more time thinking about your message than the style of chart. This might seem a bit contradictory when you are trying to find the best chart style to present your data. However, if you haven’t taken the time to really understand your dataset and the message you’d like to convey, even the loveliest chart can present a flimsy analysis.

Collaboration and diverse opinions will yield richer results

Talk out or whiteboard the problem with colleagues and pay close attention to the words you use. The conversation will influence how you frame the data, which parts are elevated, and the chart type. For example, the phrases “huge dip,” “crazy maze of a process,” or “flowed from,” evoke immediate images and suggest certain types of charts.

Focus on the essentials

Remember, less is more. Many chart standards such as gridlines, values and even data labels may not be necessary to get your point across. Unlike reading text from left to right, people’s eyes dart all around a chart and they focus on the items that stand out. Emphasize your key points with bold colors, shapes, large fonts, or strategic placement. Conversely, if something is not relevant to your message, consider excluding it.

Use established terminology to understand each other

Chart structures are common for a reason; for instance, the Y axis typically shows time. Flouting convention will just make your charts harder to understand.

I also appreciated the thorough discussion of data integrity. It is easy to manipulate data. We can exaggerate points, or omit points altogether; we can show two different views of the same data and come up with opposite conclusions. The book gives practical advice to help us determine if charts are deceiving.

When I put these principles into practice, I was surprised to find that not everyone is ready to ditch the bar charts and legends in favor of a simpler chart. Folks who work in the trenches with data, often like to see every data point on a chart. However, I’ve noticed leadership teams can be more interested in the analysis and implications, rather than the full dataset. With a chart that tells a story through data, you can quickly and easily communicate key points.

If your job involves data—which, these days, most jobs do—you can up your data game this year, and in the process, improve your business discussions too. Good Charts can make you a better storyteller with data.

By Laura Templeton

Finding an employer that truly gets work-life balance is a treasure.  I feel fortunate that at 2A, we work hard and play hard. And if you’ve read our blog you’ve seen that we have all kinds of fascinating interests and endeavors.

For me, balanced living also comes from working hard and then doing nothing. Well, not exactly nothing.  For my birthday, my husband gave me a yoga retreat on Whidbey Island. It is one of the most memorable gifts I’ve received—I learned the value of stopping life and reflecting.

I was a bit anxious when I walked into the great hall at the Whidbey Island Retreat Center.  First off, I was wearing shorts. Even the men in the room knew that you don’t wear shorts to a yoga retreat. And people were very open and forthcoming as they explained what they wanted out of the weekend, some even shed tears. As we went around the room introducing ourselves, we stated our intentions, because that’s what you do in yoga. I distinctly remember saying that I have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and I haven’t had a break in, well, three and a half years.

The lovely and limber yoga teacher declared this was our weekend—show up for the opening and closing meetings, but between now and then we could do what we wanted, even if that wasn’t yoga. I immediately adored this teacher. A whole weekend with no obligations, and farm-to-table meals.

Not only was I wearing shorts, I was also the sole loner in the group. Everyone came with a friend, or even a posse. But that didn’t matter because next I learned the rest of the day was going to be silent. Huh?  That wasn’t in the brochure. But I was blissfully released from all social obligations. Rather than making small talk through dinner, we were assigned no talk. Awkward at first, then gradually, I let go of my self-consciousness and relaxed into the silence. My mind loosened up, and my thoughts unraveled, until I reached a peaceful awareness. In fact, the next morning when we were released from silence, I chose to stay in my quiet state until the afternoon.

My great awakening of the weekend was the sheer joy of spending time with myself. It felt like a luxurious gift to not worry about anyone else or be tied to a schedule. And while I thoroughly enjoyed having someone else prepare seaweed salads and chia pudding, the real thrill was sitting quietly with myself. I didn’t realize how cluttered and busy my mind had become until I had a chance to stop and listen to my thoughts. Little by little, I cleaned out the noise in my head and relaxed into silence. I came away completely refreshed, not to mention more limber.

Back at work, I have become a cheerleader for time-outs. I tell everyone who will listen, “if you possibly can, take 2-3 days to yourself each year. Just you. And if you go in silence, even better.”

When was the last time you spent a day on you? You don’t need acai bowls and sun salutations. Make a decision to devote time to yourself. Yes, it is a luxury, and perhaps you can only find one day to yourself.  But treat yourself to the gift of time and space and you may just achieve that ever-elusive work-life balance.