Hi, I’m Laura Warren, a data storytelling trainer, coach, speaker and educator
I’ve been in your shoes, so I know how important it is to make your data matter.
Even though I’m an analyst at heart, I’ve never approached data as a math problem. I’ve always approached it more like a doctor diagnosing a symptom. When it comes to data communication, I never focus on the visuals or the process first; it’s always about the impact and outcome.
During my time with some of Canada’s top providers, like Air Miles, Nielsen, and The NPD Group, I collected market-level data, turned it into a compelling narrative and translated it back to my executive teams. I was laser-focused on creating data stories that helped them understand the information, what it meant for the business, and where the opportunities were.
Most analysts, however, don’t look at data this way. Because of this unique approach to outcome-driven data storytelling, I started a parallel career as a trainer. I trained teams internally to learn the data storytelling frameworks I had developed to help enhance their data communication and translation skills.
We saw how valuable these skills were for our team and realized how much our clients needed this training, too, so they could draw insights from their data and realize a return on their investment. I helped commercialize this training at Nielsen, and we sold it as a service to external teams so they could learn how to translate data into compelling stories.
I’ve been training and coaching businesses for over 25 years, and Storylytics is backed by three decades of data storytelling experience.
A more effective approach to data communication
I started Storylytics because I saw how often leadership teams were getting frustrated by mountains of data without any insight. And I kept getting the same feedback from clients. They were investing so much money in data but weren’t getting any real value from it. I can’t count the number of times I heard: “Just tell me what it means!” These executive leaders were getting so frustrated by this lack of insight that they turned to external advisors to make sense of the data and derive meaning for them.
But I knew there was a better solution. The reality is that the power of this data is in your hands, not mine. The real value of your data is in the small conversations that happen along the way. It’s tiny insights that aren’t always the earth-shattering kabooms that people want them to be. An insight can be as simple as, “Oh, I didn’t recognize that,” or, “Huh, that changed my opinion.”
Data storytelling is a skill, not a talent. And it can be taught.
It’s those little “Aha moments” that truly inform more effective decisions. When your team develops the ability to glean these insights from data on their own and create clear narratives tailored to their audience, the less frustration and the better conversations you’ll have.
I hear you, and I’ve been you
Throughout my career as a data analyst, decision maker, and translator for executive teams, I’ve worked with the C-suite of some of Canada’s largest organizations (and been part of it myself), as well as with small startups moving at the speed of light. I’ve also worked with executive teams from every vertical across different applications and functional areas.
Not only do I understand the challenges today’s leadership teams face when it comes to making sense of their data, I also know what leadership teams need from their data and how to train the teams to focus on what matters most, now and in the future. I can help leaders understand when they can trust their team to solve critical data challenges and when they need to get involved to guide the organization to success.
Today, Storylytics provides outcome-driven data storytelling training using proven proprietary frameworks I’ve developed over the past 20 years. Our programs are also tailored to meet the specific challenges of your industry and organization, using your data to inform and guide the training.
When we are more effective data communicators, we have more influence. Understanding and communicating what data means helps teams have more effective conversations and make better decisions faster.
Book me to speak at your next event conference or panel
Over the past 20 years, I’ve presented at several high-profile conferences like CBC Women in Tech and the Data & AI Marketing Conference and Expo, at corporate events for brands like Canada Life, ATB Financial, Cooperators, and Massive Insight.
I’m also a regular speaker at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business for a number of different programs. As a speaker, I aim to help my audience think differently about how they solve their data problems. Using a ‘design, develop and deliver’ process, I’ll show them how to use data storytelling to have more effective conversations with key stakeholders. Get in touch to learn more about having me speak at your next event.
