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Health Data Storytelling

A resource for health organizations to harness the power of storytelling and bring data to life

From Numbers to Narrative

A practical guide to bringing health data to life through storytelling

This resource is for health organizations that want to publish reports, data or insights to harness the power of storytelling and bring data to life. Drawing from journalism techniques and research on psychology, sociology and science communication, From Numbers to Narrative walks you step by step through the process of crafting high-impact, data-driven health reports and insights.

By Christian Otte and Michal Kapral

You can use this guide to:

  • Improve existing reporting
  • Start a new report
  • Present data that was historically just a regular report in story format
  • Tackle a complex health data topic you need to communicate

Read From Numbers to Narrative

Diagram of the seven steps to storytelling with health data: defining your report strategy and goals, selecting data and generating insights, conducting user research, building a storyline, writing a lived-experience story, designing your report, and publishing and socializing your report

The 7-Step Process for Telling a Story with Health Data

  1. 1

    Defining your report strategy and goals

    Articulate why you are producing the report, and set goals and outcomes that align with your organization and your main audience.

  2. 2

    Selecting data and generating insights

    Identify and access the data sets you need, then use the question-based method to structure the insights you generate from them.

  3. 3

    Conducting user research

    Define your audience and objectives, gather user perspectives, develop personas and test what you create with real readers.

  4. 4

    Building a storyline

    Make your headline a key finding, mind how the text flows, make the data about people, introduce a plot twist, chunk your text and use pull quotes.

  5. 5

    Writing a lived-experience story

    Behind all health data there are stories about people. Learn the anatomy of a patient story, how to select one, and seven practices for gathering them.

  6. 6

    Designing your report

    Present insights and data visualization simply, and design the report itself digital-first rather than print-first.

  7. 7

    Publishing and socializing your report

    Weigh print, PDF and digital publication, then promote the report to the audiences you built it for and measure its reach.

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Blog

Take a look at our blog for more information on data, analytics, and storytelling.

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One small step toward a narrative approach is a giant leap for health data impact.

About this guide

From Numbers to Narrative was written by Christian Otte and Michal Kapral and published on this site in 2019 and 2020.

It covers the power of storytelling, what storytelling with data means, the seven-step process for telling a story with health data, writing lived-experience stories, designing a report, publishing and socializing it, and closes with a seven-entry reference list.

Health Data Storytelling is an independent, author-published resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any government agency, health authority, hospital, university or certifying body.

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