Data Storytelling in Power BI: From Reports to Narratives

BI developers often hesitate to use data visualization as storytelling. Common questions arise: "How can I tell a story for another part of the business when I don't have domain expertise?", "How do I create narratives when the data changes daily?", "Isn't my job just to present facts, not opinions?"

These are excuses for not building the best visualizations we're capable of. Data storytelling isn't about making judgements - it's about understanding your user personas, making them the central characters, and presenting data as arguments (not just statements) that resolve the tension (around business performance!) that every good story needs.

This session demonstrates how to transform standard Power BI reports into compelling data narratives that drive action.

In live demos, we'll deconstruct real-world Power BI reports built for the community, showing how storytelling techniques transform them from data dumps into narratives. You'll see practical application of pre-attentive attributes (colour, size, position), argumentative data presentation structures, and "so what" conclusions that drive user action.

You will learn:

- The core structure of compelling stories and how this translates directly to Power BI report design and information architecture

- Using pre-attentive attributes strategically to guide viewers through your narrative without overwhelming them with visual noise

-Framing data as arguments rather than statements -presenting insights that lead viewers to conclusions instead of leaving interpretation ambiguous

-Building report structures around user personas to make them the "central characters" and their business challenges the "tension" to be resolved

-Creating "so what" conclusions in reports that provide clear calls-to-action based on the data story presented

Perfect for Power BI developers, report designers, and BI professionals who want their reports to drive action rather than just present information.

Apply storytelling structure principles to Power BI report design to create narratives that guide users to actionable insights. Use pre-attentive attributes and argumentative data presentation to eliminate ambiguity and drive decision-making. Design reports around user personas to ensure data stories resonate with specific audiences and business contexts.