From Data to Narrative: Bring Your Numbers to Life with Storytelling

This blog is part of a three-part series exploring the power of storytelling in leadership. At The Humphrey Group, we’ve seen firsthand how compelling stories can inspire teams, build trust, and drive meaningful action.

That’s why we’ve developed a new storytelling program, The Power of Stories, designed to equip leaders with the tools to craft and deliver impactful narratives. In this series, we’ll explore:

• The Science Behind Storytelling: Why it Works and How Leaders can use it 
• The Power of Stories: How to Find, Craft and Deliver stories that Inspire 
• From Data to Narrative: Bring Your Numbers to Life with Storytelling [below]

In this post, we’ll focus on how to enhance communications that are often seen as “just informational”– like sharing metrics, reports, or updates. We’ll introduce a tool that supports data storytelling, helping you turn facts into messages that resonate.

From Data to Narrative 

At The Humphrey Group, we teach leaders that every communication is an opportunity to inspire and influence. But what happens when the foundation of a message that needs to be communicated is dry, impersonal statistics?

By now, most leaders understand that data dumps simply don’t motivate teams. That’s why many of our clients come to us with the same question: How do I use data to inspire action, instead of simply sharing facts?

The answer lies in understanding the difference between two powerful tools: storytelling and data storytelling:

• Storytelling is the art of conveying messages, emotions, or experiences through narrative. This often looks like using personal anecdotes and emotion to connect and inspire.
• Data storytelling pulls from data as the foundation of a narrative to communicate insights and drive decisions. It’s about turning information into meaning, so your audience not only sees the numbers but also the story behind the numbers.

This distinction matters because stories don’t just make information more engaging. They make it more memorable – and this concept is backed up by research. Chip Heath, a professor at Stanford University, highlights in his book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die that people retain only 5% of information presented through statistics alone. But when that same information is conveyed through story? Retention jumps to 63%. In other words, stories work.

Storytelling vs. Data Storytelling: What's the Difference?

Both storytelling and data storytelling rely on the power of narrative, but they serve different purposes and achieve different outcomes.

Storytelling is rooted in personal experience, values, and emotion. It’s used to build trust, inspire teams, clarify vision, and forge emotional connection. The data, if it appears at all, is secondary to the story’s emotional core. For example, imagine a leader begins a team meeting by saying:

“Last month, one of our team members, Priya, shared something with me. She said, ‘I love my work, but sometimes it feels like my contributions are invisible.’ That really stuck with me.”

This moment is relatable, emotional, and personal, which builds trust and opens space for vulnerability. The leader may follow up by noting that recent engagement surveys confirm that many others feel similarly, but it’s Priya’s story that makes the message land.

Data storytelling, by contrast, is driven by insight. It connects the dots between data points and real-world implications. It’s about showing the audience not just what’s happening, but why it matters. It relies on emotion too, but in service of analysis, clarity, and action.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• Use storytelling when your goal is to connect, inspire, or reinforce values.
• Use data storytelling when your goal is to inform, explain a trend, or drive decisions based on insight.

Use this chart to see the key difference:

Data Storytelling in Action with The Leader’s Script

At The Humphrey Group, we often use a tool called The Leader’s Script to help bring structure and purpose to communication. While it was designed for a range of leadership communication moments, it’s especially effective for turning raw data into meaningful data storytelling.

Let’s see this in action. Imagine a people and culture leader is addressing a concerning trend in new hire turnover. Here's the raw data and how it can be transformed into a compelling narrative that leads to action:

The Data

• 40% of new hires left within their first six months.
• Exit interviews showed that 70% of those who left cited poor onboarding.
• Teams with structured onboarding had 20% higher retention rates.

The Data Storytelling Approach

The Leader’s Script consists of five core components that help structure your message:

1. Beginning – Use the Bridge and Craft a Clear Subject and Message
   • Bridge – Grab your audience’s attention and set the context
   • Subject – What you’re talking about
   • Message – What you want your audience to believe or understand
2. Middle – Reinforce the Data with the Body
   • Body – Supporting evidence (in this case, data–but combined with narrative to bring it to life)
3. End – Call to Action
   • Call to Action – What you want your audience to do

Let’s return to the example above and break it down using The Leader’s Script:

1. Beginning
   • Bridge: Over the past year, we’ve welcomed incredible new talent into the organization. But a pattern has emerged: many of those new hires are leaving within their first six months.
   • Subject: Let’s discuss the link between onboarding experience and retention.
   • Message: We believe that the first 6 months of a new employee’s experience are critical to retaining top talent.
     
     
2. Middle
   • Body: Here’s why: 40% of new hires left within six months. When we asked why, 70% pointed to a lack of structure and clarity in their onboarding experience. They felt lost, disconnected, and unsure of how to contribute.
     
     One of those employees was Jordan. In their exit interview, they said:
     "I wasn’t sure what success looked like, or who to ask. I spent my first month guessing—and by the time I found my footing, I already felt behind."
     
     But there’s a bright spot. One department introduced a simple onboarding checklist, assigned mentors, and held weekly touchpoints. The result? Retention jumped by 20%. People felt seen, supported, and more confident in their roles.
     
     This isn’t just about processes. It’s about people. And our data shows that when we prioritize connection and clarity early on, we keep talent longer.
     
     
3. End
   • Call to Action: So let’s scale what’s already working. By the end of the quarter, I’m asking every department to implement three specific onboarding touchpoints: a peer buddy, a weekly check-in, and a shared success roadmap for each new hire. We’ll measure retention and engagement across teams and use those insights to shape a more consistent onboarding experience company-wide.

This approach doesn’t just dryly report the data. Instead, it translates the data into something meaningful. The numbers form the basis of the story, but it’s the human context and clear takeaway that make it resonate and inspire action.

When to Use Storytelling vs. Data Storytelling

Knowing which kind of storytelling to use, and when, is key. Both tools are valuable, but their impact depends on the context. Here’s a quick guide:

Use storytelling when you want to:

Use data storytelling when you want to:

And, last, it is possible to combine the two. Great communicators combine both approaches by opening with a personal story to hook attention; presenting data to ground their insights, and closing with a vision (or call-to-action) that inspires.

The Bottom Line

Whether you're trying to connect with your team on an emotional level or drive action based on data, storytelling is a bridge between information and impact.

By understanding when and how to use both storytelling and data storytelling, you will be able to transform the way your ideas land. No longer will you just be sharing information. When you communicate, even if your foundation is dry numbers, you’ll spark insight, inspire change, and strengthen your presence as a leader.

About The Power of Stories

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a leader can use to build trust, inspire action, and create lasting impact. The Power of Stories is a signature learning experience designed to help leaders harness the art of storytelling, teaching them how to confidently deliver stories that inspire action. Ready to transform the way you communicate? Join our complimentary workshop on May 8th to learn more about the power of stories. Register here.