Author: K'nechtology

On September 19, 2023, Alan K’necht had the privilege of speaking at Digital Summit Detroit. His session was entitled, “Making Your Data Talk/Sing For You! – Using Data Visualization to Tell Persuasive and Meaningful Stories.”

For 30 minutes, he addressed a standing-room-only crowd of approximately 150 to 200 attendees. His central theme was on identifying the pivotal “hot buttons” or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that senior management truly values. Moreover, he discussed capturing this essential information and presenting it in an enticing and significant manner.

The obvious point in presenting this data is to steer clear of mere spreadsheets, tabular data, or raw numbers taken out of context. Instead, the key is to put them in context and accompany them with an easily comprehensible graphic or image (data visualization). These images can encapsulate data but should aim to grab the audience’s attention within 8 seconds.

Why the emphasis on 8 seconds? Alan referenced a recent study in his presentation from Total Care Therapy (https://www.totalcareaba.com/statistics/average-attention-span-statistics). This research highlighted the alarming decrease in the average human attention span over the last 20+ years: from 12 seconds in 2000, dropping to 8.25 seconds by 2015. Remarkably, by 2015, a goldfish — boasting an attention span of 9 seconds – exceeding a human by 0.75 seconds. While the study did not provide specific data for 2023, it’s a safe bet to assume our collective attention span has further diminished.

So, how do we counteract this dwindling attention span? His presentation’s conclusion was clear: “Embrace Data Visualization” and let the data sing.