99: You Can Make Better BANs! — Featuring Steve Wexler
Data Viz Today
Have you ever thrown a giant number at the top of your dashboard and hoped it did… something? Steve Wexler (yes, the guy who coined the term BAN, or Big Ass Number) joins me to teach you how to turn those big numbers into meaningful, context-rich moments that will make your user celebrate or panic (in a useful way!). Show notes:
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98: How to Hold Your Own in Stakeholder Discussions (even as a novice) — Featuring Bill Shander
Data Viz Today
In this episode, I’m joined by Bill Shander to talk about how to hold your own in stakeholder discussions in dataviz projects, even if you’re just starting out. He shares practical techniques from his new book , including how to build credibility, ask better questions, and stay grounded when opinions fly. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed in a stakeholder meeting, this one’s for you. Let’s go! Show notes:
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97: How to Land Your First Data Job with the SPN Method — Featuring Avery Smith
Data Viz Today
In this episode, I’m joined by Avery Smith to talk about how to actually land a data job right now without getting ghosted by resume bots. He shares his SPN method: Skills, Portfolio, Networking. We get into how to build just enough skills, why personal projects matter way more than you think, and how to reach out without being weird. If you’re job hunting (or might be soon), this one’s for you. Show notes:
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96: NEXT QUESTION: A New Game to Hone Your Data Storytelling Expertise — Featuring Kat Greenbrook
Data Viz Today
In this episode, I’m trying out a brand-new game called Next Question to help you sharpen your data storytelling skills by exploring the kinds of clarifying questions experts ask when facing challenges. I’m joined by Kat Greenbrook, author of , and together we tackle real-world scenarios and share what questions we’d ask to steer data storytelling projects in the right direction. Grab a copy of my book
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95: You Need to Try Something New to Be Someone New
Data Viz Today
In this episode, I share the introduction of my book, , to inspire you to take the first steps towards a more fulfilling career, whether you’re trying to transition into dataviz or integrate more creativity into your work. I’ll redefine what creativity means, share why you need it in your dataviz work, show you how to cultivate a powerful creative practice, and finally, I share my personal story of having a fractured career at age 30 and turning it all around — including what everyone’s calling the oh-so-relatable “trash can story”. Grab a copy of my new book — available...
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94: How to Give More Confident Data Presentations (even if you’re an introvert) — Featuring Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
Data Viz Today
There’s no way around it: If you can speak confidently about your dataviz work to other people, you’ll make a bigger impact. But you’re shy, nervous, an introvert, and not a natural speaker! That’s ok. You CAN learn this skill. Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, a data storytelling expert, best-selling author, and CEO of Storytelling with Data, joins us today to share how to identify and fix those pesky presentation nerves so you can finally have the impact you want. Let’s go! Show notes: Cole's best-selling books including Storytelling with You: My book Chart Spark:
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93: How to Leverage Sports Analytics for a Standout Dataviz Portfolio — Featuring Shri Khalpada
Data Viz Today
Are you looking for ways to make your work stand out in a crowded industry, like sports? Or maybe looking for a topic with pretty clean data to create a portfolio project? In today’s episode, we’re chatting with , a D.C. area creative coder and Principal Software Engineer at , which is an NBA analytics website founded by Ben Faulk that’s available to the public and also has more robust tools for NBA teams. Shri shares how he increased his chances of landing a coveted sports analytics job, and a few lessons he’s learned working with sports data that can be applied to any dataviz job....
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BONUS: Insider Tips for Publishing Your First Dataviz Book
Data Viz Today
Are you ready to write a book? Or maybe see it in your future down the road? Well, I spent hours and hours researching the book publishing process, spoke with tons of authors about their experience, and then lived through it myself. I want to save you some time and share what I learned. Recently I shared all about the process with the Elevate Dataviz Learning Community that I co-founded and I’m sharing that conversation here today… In this episode, I share what's included in a book proposal, how advances and royalties work, what was harder and easier than expected, and much more!! Grab my...
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92: How to Navigate a Dataviz Career in Mozambique — Featuring Charama Sulemane
Data Viz Today
Have you ever felt like you made a big career mistake? Like you completely chose the wrong college major or took the wrong job. Well, today we’re chatting with Charama Sulemane, a data analyst at the United Nations Office for Project Services. But only a few years ago, he was a fresh graduate in Mozambique and found out that no one was hiring for data science jobs in his area. He was questioning his decision to get into this field. But not ready to give up, Charama made a few smart moves that landed him his first job in dataviz. Let's go! Sponsor: Show notes: My book Chart Spark:
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Welcome to Data Viz Today!
Data Viz Today
Data Viz Today, hosted by Alli Torban, is a friendly and insightful podcast for anyone interested in data visualization. It offers practical advice, showcases the latest tools and methods, and features inspiring stories from the field, aimed at analysts, journalists, and designers seeking to refine their data viz skills. Show notes: Chart Spark book: Elevate Dataviz Learning Community: Follow Alli Torban on LinkedIn:
info_outlineHey dataviz friend, my book is launching in early December (CHART SPARK), and after giving a workshop this morning that used the prompts from the book, I realized....chatting and brainstorming with other people is my happy place!
So, do you wanna chat? Anything on your mind about dataviz careers, creativity, or brainstorming on a real project? I'm opening my calendar on Thursdays until the year-end for fun coffee chats. Snag a time on my calendly below. No cost or commitment required – just good vibes and chart sparks! 📊⚡
https://calendly.com/