What is Data Storytelling?

• Data storytelling is the art of weaving numbers, visuals, and context into a narrative that informs, persuades, or inspires.
  
• But what happens when the story isn’t working? When the audience isn’t convinced, or the message falls flat?
  
• That’s where recasting comes in—a technique to reshape the data, perspective, or framing to tell a different, more impactful story.
  
• Today’s Goal: Explore how recasting transforms raw data into a compelling narrative.

Defining Recasting

What Does Recasting Mean?
- In theater, recasting is swapping one actor for another to change the performance.
- In data storytelling, it’s about reinterpreting or reframing the data to shift the narrative.
- It’s not lying or manipulating—it’s finding a new angle that’s still true to the data.
- Key Idea: The same dataset can tell multiple stories depending on how you cast it.

Why Recast?

When and Why Do We Recast?
- Audience Disconnect: The original story doesn’t resonate with your audience.
- Hidden Insights: A new perspective reveals something overlooked.
- Persuasion: You need to shift opinions or inspire action in a specific direction.
- Example: A company’s sales data might show failure (declining numbers) or resilience (growth in a tough market)—same data, different story.

The Tools of Recasting

How Do We Recast a Story?
1. Change the Focus: Zoom in on a different metric or time period.
2. Shift the Lens: Alter the emotional tone—optimism vs. caution.
3. Adjust the Frame: Compare to a different benchmark or context.
4. Visual Redesign: Use charts, colors, or layouts to highlight what matters.
- Core Principle: Stay honest—recasting isn’t about distortion; it’s about emphasis.

Case Study 1 – Sales Data

Recasting Sales Performance
- Original Story: “Our sales dropped 10% last quarter.”
- Bar chart: Downward trend, red bars, gloomy tone.
- Audience takeaway: “We’re failing.”

• Recast Story: “Despite a tough market, we outperformed competitors by 5%.”
  • Line chart: Us vs. industry average, green highlight on our line.
    
  • Audience takeaway: “We’re resilient and competitive.”
    
• Lesson: Context (market conditions) and comparison (competitors) flipped the narrative.

Case Study 2 – Public Health

Recasting Vaccination Rates
- Original Story: “Only 60% of our region is vaccinated.”
- Pie chart: 60% filled, gray tones, focus on the gap.
- Audience takeaway: “We’re falling short.”

• Recast Story: “We’ve vaccinated 1.2 million people in just six months!”
  • Bar