Data Authors: Skilled Designers of Data Presentations - Data Fluency: Empowering Your Organization with Effective Data Communication - page 80

Figu r e 5-1: Data Product Authors within the Data Fluency Framework

A RARE SkILLSET

To bridge the gap between data and an audience, the data author has a com-
plex job. The author must decide what data is most important to focus on to
answer the questions at hand, and how to optimally harness and depict data
to inform thinking and action. Effective communication with data is a rare
skillset. Here are a few hats that data product authors must wear:

Salesman —Data product authors must know their audience. To do
so, they must consider how to best capture their audience's attention,
how they might perceive the data, and what it may take to gain the
audience's buy-in. An effective data product needs to be enticing,
clear, and convincing to lead an audience to action.

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Therapist —Data product authors need empathy—the desire and abil-
ity to understand and share the feelings of others. By getting into the
hearts and minds of the audience, they can find the questions that are

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