When the Data's Right but the Story's Wrong

True data. False impact.

The numbers checked out.

The dashboard loaded.

The filters worked.

And no one cared.

That's the danger in data work. You can do everything right and still miss. Because truth isn't what moves people. Story does.

We forget that clean data isn't the goal...it's the raw clay. Meaning is the sculpture. And if you don't shape it, someone else will. Usually someone with more opinions than facts.

You know the look: a beautiful dashboard with no punchline. No hook. No consequence.

Don't let your insights die in silence. Learn to wield narrative. Find the tension. Build the turn. Deliver the drop.

Because the truth doesn't matter if no one feels it.