How to Talk about Data: Build your data fluency

Martin J. Eppler, PhD, is a chaired professor of communications management at St. Gallen University, one of Europe's top 10 business schools, where he is the director of a global MBA program. He is the author of 22 books, including the getabstract international business book of the year winner "Meet up!" (Cambridge University Press). He is a 10 times "MBA course of the year" winner and received numerous best paper awards for his research on communication issues in management. His research has been featured in The Guardian, Businessweek, the Harvard Business Review, Inc. magazine, the MIT Technology Review. He is an advisor to organizations such as the European Central Bank, the United Nations, IATA, Tawuniya, Porsche, Swiss Re, or Nike. He has been a guest professor at Georgiatech in the US, Cambridge University in the UK, Simon Fraser University in Canada, Aalto University in Finland, and CUFE in China, as well as Pacifico in Peru. For the last 15 years, he has been editor of Europe's largest and longest running change management journal ZOE (part of Handelsblatt).Fabienne Bünzli, PhD, is a lecturer and project manager at the University of St. Gallen where she conducts research on persuasive communication . Her research has been published journals such as the Journal of Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Journalism, or the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. Her work has been recognized with the Best Paper Award of the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research in 2018. Prior to her academic career, she has worked as a public relations and communications specialist.

• PART I: The Manager as Data User: Making Sense of Data1. Overcoming Analytics Anxiety2. Making sense of statistics: Achieving a global view of data3. Predicting outcomes: Modelling the world with data4. Understanding relationships: Probing for the when, how, and why5. Differences that make a difference: How to segment the world statistically (and what machine learning looks like)PART II: The Manager as Data Facilitator: Conveying Data-based Insights6. The Five Magic Ingredients of Data Storytelling7. The Data Storytelling Canvas8. How to visually DESIGN your Data: A Manager’s Chart Guide9. How to Work with Software in front of others10. Effective Analytics Q & A SessionsPART III: The Manager as Collaboration Partner: Making Analytics Work11. A Typology of common cooperation challenges in Analytics12. A Recipe for Better Analytics CollaborationConclusion: Future proof Analytics

"Technology requires human communication to make data impactful. The insights of this book show how to bring data to the people." Christoph Keller, CEO IBM Switzerland   "A clear, concise guide for business leaders on how to make sense of data, intelligently explore or question findings, and not get bamboozled by experts." Dave Gray, founder, XPLANE, and author of The Connected Company and of Gamestorming .   "This powerful book shows how managers can better understand and communicate data and analytics to seize business opportunities and increase competitiveness in an increasingly data driven world." Dr. Andreas Schönenberger, CEO Sanitas and former CEO of Google Switzerland   "This book is your best investment to continuously grow your data mastery. Realistic use cases are combined with meticulously selected tools. Powerful." Valérie Saintot, Division Head, European Central Bank   "No matter what industry you're in, you're in a data industry. And this is the guide to get more value out of your data." Dr. Thomas Wellauer, Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Stock Exchange, SIX Group "Great entrepreneurs and innovators are also great storytellers, and data has the power to either bring the narrative to life or kill it by boring, excluding or confusing your audience.  How To Talk About Data builds much-needed bridges over common traps we can all fall into." Dr. Sarah Lubik, Director of Entrepreneurship, Simon Fraser University, multiple board member, founder, executive director of the Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship (Vancouver), elected as innovation leader by the Canadian government   "The beauty of the book How To Talk About Data is putting communication at the center, enabling us to have better data and analytics conversations. It's revealing the often unforeseen efforts and invisible barriers to truly becoming a data-led organization and gives actionable advice how to address this for sustainable change." Bianca Scheffler, Head of Data Culture & Innovation, Swiss ReManagement Ltd.   "An indispensable handbook for everyone leading authentic and inclusive conversations about data analytics." Benjamin Wiederkehr, founder, partner, and Managing Director of Interactive Things Inc., Colorado, USA   "An efficient refresher on how to communicate through data and on which mistakes to avoid and an effective tool for any manager looking to up their data literacy game." Christian Koblmiller-Kampmueller, Chief Data Officer, International Committee of the Red Cross