PUBLIC TRAININGS FOR INDIVIDUALS & SMALL GROUPS
Learn to
tell better stories
with your data
Choose between a half-day workshop to quickly learn the fundamentals, or an 8-week course to deepen your skills with hands-on practice and individualized coaching.
Next session: Nov 5, 2026 (virtual)
Next cohort: Sep 28, 2026
Choose your best fit
All of our teachings are based on our best-selling books and will help you hone your ability to persuade audiences with data.
half-day workshop
The foundational, high-impact overview you need to start telling more impactful stories with data—covered in just a single session.
Best for: those new to data storytelling, short on time, or exploring a small-group alternative to our custom team training sessions
Price: $595 USD
Format: live virtual & in-person options
Time commitment: A single, 4-hour workshop with an optional day-of 30-minute office hour
8-week online course
The deeper, hands-on practice you need to master presenting stories with data—built over eight weeks using a real-world project and community support.
Best for: those wanting more depth and practice over time, needing accountability to stay on track, or aiming to become a team champion who can upskill others.
Price: $1,795 USD early bird pricing
Format: online with live recorded lectures & office hours
Time commitment: About 3-5 hours per week for 8 weeks, including weekly lectures and office hours
Have a question? Contact the SWD team.
half-day workshop
FORMAT
Live virtual, 4 hours
NEXT SESSION
November 5, 2026 @ 11am-3pm ET
PRICE
$595 USD
Why should you attend?
This foundational workshop will teach you how to improve your graphs and slides for powerful presentations, with hands-on practice. You'll walk away with a repeatable process for your next presentation.
How will you learn?
For both our virtual and in-person formats, you’ll gain knowledge from members of the SWD team through a mix of presentation delivery and individual and small group exercises. Attendees are invited to attend a 30-minute “office-hour” extension immediately following the workshop for any remaining questions. Virtual sessions will be hosted on Zoom.
What’s included?
Participants will receive our latest book, before & after, plus a workbook with exercises, templates, and helpful reminders to support you after the workshop.
Lessons covered in the half-day workshop
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Most people start building their data stories at the computer. You’ll learn why the best stories start low-tech, strategizing about the audience and message. You’ll practice crafting a tailored, persuasive message for a given project.
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With so many chart types available, picking the right one can feel daunting. Discover a process to help you choose which visual to use and practice visualizing a dataset.
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Many tools add excess elements to graphs and slides. You’ll learn which default settings to change, and practice decluttering a busy chart.
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Learn how to use UX techniques to make your key takeaways stand out, including color, size, and position. You’ll practice redesigning a graph for maximum impact.
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Learn why stories make your recommendations more persuasive and memorable to the people deciding whether to act on them.
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Join the SWD team for a 30-minute “office-hour” extension where we will answer your burning questions and provide extra resources to help you succeed post-workshop.
plan, create & deliver
8-week online course
FORMAT
Live virtual lectures & office hours
September 28th–November 22nd, 2026
MON lectures, THU/FRI office hours
NEXT COHORT
PRICE
$1,895 USD
Why should you attend?
This course gives you the clear schedule and accountability to learn how to plan, create, and deliver data-driven presentations that move audiences to act. You'll build your own project and receive coaching from the SWD team and your fellow classmates at every stage. Leave the course with real-world experience crafting a leadership-style communication and a data story that's entirely your own.
How you’ll learn?
Each week centers on a dedicated topic, building progressively so you can apply what you learn to your capstone project. You'll join a weekly live lecture (Mondays, 11am–12pm ET) with Amy and Simon, work through multimedia resources—reading, podcasts, videos, and exercises—at 3–5 hours per week, and can attend weekly office hours for live Q&A. All lectures are recorded, so you can keep pace even if you can't attend live.
What’s included?
Participants receive two books by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic (let's practice! and storytelling with you), plus 6 months of premium access to the SWD community, and a certificate of completion for finishing the weekly activities and capstone project.
Sample syllabus of the 8-week course
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Feedback is critical for developing any new skill. You'll learn to solicit specific feedback, get comfortable with critiques, and give thoughtful feedback to others, building the critical eye needed to improve your own work.
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You'll explore common and lesser-known graph types and learn how iterating through different views helps you communicate your data best. Along the way, you'll start developing the graphs for your capstone project.
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The audience shapes our data stories, specifically who they are and what we need them to do. You'll learn to identify your audience and craft a tailored message for your project.
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Stories are memorable! Discover common storytelling frameworks and strategies, including storyboarding, one of our favorite low-tech planning tools, and practice forming the story for your project.
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It's not enough to make a chart, you need to polish it to emphasize the takeaway. Discover how to eliminate clutter and highlight key messages by applying simple, powerful design lessons, all while continuing to build out your capstone project.
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Everyone fears a blank page, so learn tactics to quickly structure a slide deck that supports your story, using your slideware application to bring low-tech planning strategies to life. You'll explore delivery considerations and practice creating the structure of your project.
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Creating great content is only one part of the equation, you need to talk through it confidently and persuasively. This week brings everything together, shifting focus from the materials to you and the role you play in delivering the story. You'll refine your presentation style and presence, and present your project to the SWD team for individual feedback.
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You've experienced and stepped through the SWD process with your capstone. This final week prepares you for the nuances and obstacles of real-world data storytelling: time, template, and space constraints, plus tips for driving change and presenting complex visuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We welcome all skill levels. If you're responsible for representing data in your day-to-day job—whether you're an analyst crunching numbers, a manager communicating in a data-driven way, or a leader presenting to your board, execs, or other stakeholders—our sessions will give you the tools to tell more effective stories with data and present them with more confidence.
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We are big believers in the value of repetition when learning a skillset. If you too find value in reinforcement—seeing familiar concepts through new examples, discussing them live, and practicing them in real time—you'll likely find our half-day workshop deepens what you got from the book. If you feel confident applying the concepts already and don't need that repetition, the 8-week course or our on-demand course, storytelling with slides, may be a better next step, as they push you to go deeper by practicing building a complete story from beginning to end.
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Assignments are not graded; however, we will offer avenues to receive feedback. Weekly lectures, reading, video, podcast, and exercise completion are on the honor system. Those who turn in the weekly synthesize activity and the course capstone project according to the provided instructions will receive a certificate of completion.
Audience & Fit
Content
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Our teaching focuses on general best practices rather than software-specific skills, so the concepts apply to any graphing or presentation tool you use. Illustrative examples are primarily built in Excel and PowerPoint. During live sessions, we also use low-tech tools like pen, paper, and post-it notes for hands-on exercises—virtual sessions run on Zoom.
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Not directly. Our focus is static visuals—graphs and presentations built to communicate one specific, predefined message—rather than interactive or exploratory tools.
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Yes, we discuss how to effectively leverage AI for data storytelling, and which parts of the process benefit most from human judgment versus AI efficiency. Visit our AI hub to learn more.
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Many organizations have training budgets or tuition reimbursement programs that will cover the cost of professional development. Our trainings will help you gain valuable new skills to be more effective and productive in your current role by clearly and confidently communicating stories to influence stakeholders. They can also position you to help train or mentor others on your team.
We recommend checking with your manager or HR department to see if they offer any tuition assistance programs. When making the request, emphasize how attending aligns with your professional growth goals and the potential benefits it could bring to the broader team. Email support@storytellingwithdata.com if you need any documentation about program details, pricing, or learning objectives to submit with your request.
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We never want cost to be a barrier to learning. We offer group (5 or more attendees registering for the same session), educator, student, and non-profit discounts. Email support@storytellingwithdata.com for details.
We also have an application-based scholarship program that offers financial support to individuals.
Learn more and apply at storytellingwithdata.com/scholarship. -
We understand that plans can change and aim to be as flexible as possible. Our cancellation policy varies by type of session as follows.
8-week online course cancellations: Outside 30 days of the scheduled start date, you may cancel and receive a full refund. Within 30 days of the start date, the registration fee is non-refundable, but you may transfer your registration to a colleague. Please communicate any changes to support@storytellingwithdata.com.
Virtual workshop cancellations: Up to 24 hours before the start of the session, you may 1) transfer your registration to a colleague, 2) transfer your registration to another session (where applicable), or 3) cancel your registration and receive a full refund (minus cost of books and shipping if applicable). This must be communicated to support@storytellingwithdata.com at least 24 hours before the start of the session. Cancellations within 24 hours or no-shows are not eligible for a refund.
In the extremely rare event that a workshop must be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, a spot in an alternative session or a full refund of the registration fee will be provided (note that we are not responsible for other costs incurred, such as travel).
Payment & enrollment
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We offer a variety of custom virtual and in-person learning sessions to meet your organization's needs. Unlike our public workshops, team trainings are tailored to your organization—incorporating your own data and examples—and get your whole team building a shared language around data storytelling. Learn more on our Team Trainings page.
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Yes. See our on-demand learning options for self-paced courses you can start anytime.
Other ways to learn
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Join our mailing list to be the first to know about new sessions.
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Yes. Fill this form or email support@storytellingwithdata.com. We look forward to hearing from you!