10 Best Data Storytelling Courses To Boost Your Skills in 2024

One of the most underappreciated and in-demand skill sets for data professionals is the ability to tell a story. It’s a different kind of story than the one a journalist might tell, but it’s not completely dissimilar. Like journalists, data storytellers have to cull through a seemingly infinite number of raw data points and assemble that into a cohesive story, as a way of presenting their findings to a lay audience. 

So if you’re trying to improve your data storytelling skills, then you’re in the right place. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the ten best data storytelling courses, and what makes them so great, so that you can pick the course that’s best for you. 

How Important Is a Data Storytelling Course?

Without a story, data is just numbers and figures. Data storytelling courses teach you how to use your findings to tell a story by using visualizations and presentation skills. This makes your data usable and is the link between data analysis and data-driven decisions.

10 Best Data Storytelling Courses

These data storytelling courses can help you kickstart your career in data science:

Data Science Career Track – Springboard

Rating

Course report: 4.64

SwitchUp: 4.69

CareerKarma: 4.6

Average: 4.64

Overview

The Springboard Data Science Career Track has a thirty-hour section dedicated to data storytelling skills. The goal is to teach you how to go beyond math and algorithms. You will learn how to structure data points and then develop a great story around them. This portion of the course will teach you how to weave an actionable story out of datasets. It’s a three-step process that entails:

• Framing questions you can answer through your dataset
• Using plotting techniques and frameworks to reveal actionable insights
• Putting together these key insights to create a comprehensive narrative

You get the chance to apply these concepts through more than ten projects, capstone assignments, and other hands-on experiences. And if you don’t land a data science job within six months of graduating, you’ll get your money back! 

Best For

This course is best for those who want a flexible schedule and have 6-months of experience with coding. 

Duration

6 months

Price

$9900, with flexible payment plans available (monthly, deferred payment, loans)

Persuading with Data – MIT Sloan Executive Education

Rating

Official Facebook community: 4.4 (based on 113 reviews)

Course website: 4.8 (based on 18 reviews)

Average: 4.6

Overview

This online course by MIT offers live classes that cover how to incorporate effective data visualization tools like graphs and diagrams within data storytelling frameworks. You will learn how to develop and design presentations that share your findings derived from your quantitative data analysis.

Best for

This course is ideal for those who want a short and intensive course in a conventional classroom format. You also get credits for the MIT Sloan Executive Certificate.

Duration

2 days (around 16 hours)

Price

$4300

Data Storytelling and Data Visualization [2022] – Joshua Brindley on Udemy

Rating

4.4 (based on 3,303 ratings on the course website)

Overview

This course is for beginners who want to learn storytelling skills right from the fundamentals.

In this course, you’ll learn about:

• What constitutes effective data communication
• How to create powerful data visualizations
• How to craft graphs from spreadsheets and turn them into compelling data stories

The course is peppered with short explanations and real-life examples. It dives into story arcs so that you have storytelling templates you can plug your data into.

Best For

This course is best for beginners who want to communicate critical findings to stakeholders such as customers, senior leaders, clients, etc. Seasoned data scientists might also find this course useful to brush up on the power of storytelling and impactful data visualizations.

Duration

5 hours 45 minutes

Price

$119.99

DSA™ Foundational Courses – Data Story Academy ™

Rating

N/A

Overview

This bundle of three courses teaches you how to find, visually design, create and present compelling data stories. The course captures multiple effective data storytelling techniques to capture an audience’s attention.

Best For

Any data professional, consultant, or software expert who wants blueprints and templates to enhance their data communications.

Duration

Self-paced with lifetime access

Price

 $697, with discount options and a 30-day refund guarantee

Data Storytelling Workshop – General Assembly

Rating

Course Report: 4.3

Switchup: 4.2

CareerKarma: 4.5

Average: 4.3

Overview

This workshop-style course focuses on your stakeholders’ needs before undertaking any data storytelling project. This analysis will be the basis of your story. The course will also go over how to create narrative frameworks, and will also cover practical visualization skills too.

Best For

Those professionals looking for a quick session on effective data storytelling. This workshop can be the basis for other courses and certifications you may want to take.

Duration

2 hours

Price

Free

Use Tableau for Your Data Science Workflow Specialization – University of California, Irvine on Coursera

Rating

4.4 (based on 11 ratings on the course website)

Overview

This specialization track from the University of California Irvine consists of three courses that teach you how to use Tableau, a data visualization tool.

You will learn:

• Data extraction and manipulation
• Audience identification
• Ethical considerations related to data quality and synthesis
• Dashboard creation
• Data report generation

Best For

This specialization is ideal for those with about a year of experience in data science and analytics.

Duration

Can take up to 3 months to complete at the recommended pace of 2 hours/week

Price

$49/month, with financial aid options

Data Storytelling for Business – StoryIQ

Rating

Official Facebook community: 4.9 (based on 32 ratings)

Overview

StoryIQ offers five online data storytelling courses. All these courses are live. These courses focus on:

• Data storytelling for businesses
• Converting data into actionable insights
• Excel analytics
• Advanced visualization and dashboard design
• Creating impactful presentations

Through these courses, you will learn how to create and execute data-driven presentations, conduct descriptive analysis, and clean data sets for effective communication. If you choose the most extended schedule, you will get the opportunity to engage in hands-on projects and get feedback.

Best For

The course on presentations is ideal for business leaders who want to sharpen their communication skills and tailor their stories to their audience.

Duration

Depending on the option you choose, it can be 1-3 days (approx 4-10 hours)

Price

Starts from $99

Data Visualization and Storytelling Certificate – GrowthTribe

Rating

Course Report: 4.8

Switchup: 4.9

Springest: 4.5

Average:  4.7

Overview

This online course has four modules, which cover framework creation methods, essential data visualization skills, and data storytelling techniques. You will learn how to create graphs, conduct exploratory and explanatory analysis, do slide design, perform storytelling audience study, and execute story-building processes and structures.

Best For

Mid-level professionals looking to gain some new strategies for data storytelling can greatly benefit from this course. Those looking for networking communities will benefit too, since this course gives you access to their alumni group of 25,000 members. 

Duration

8 weeks, with a recommended study of 2-4 hours per week

Price

$995, with the option to pay in installments

Storytelling and Persuading using Data and Digital Technologies – edX

Rating

N/A

Overview

This course is by the University of Maryland. It focuses on the “And, But, Then” narration technique. A unique aspect of this course is the emphasis on customer training. The goal is to understand customers better so that the insights we present to them in the form of stories are personalized, relevant, and impactful. 

Best For

This course is ideal for those in client-facing roles who want tips to master customer communication.

Duration

4 weeks, with 2-3 hours/week of study

Price

$199

Strategic Data Storytelling – The University of Chicago

Rating

N/A

Overview

This course will teach you how to analyze data to extract patterns and opportunities for storytelling. The course will also teach you how to optimize an existing data-backed story by anticipating the questions arising from the analysis.

Best For

Mid-level professionals looking to upskill their data communication capabilities in a flexible and self-paced manner can benefit most greatly.

Duration

8 weeks

Price

$2500, with early-bird discounts

How Do You Choose a Data Storytelling Course?

Make sure you consider the following when choosing a data storytelling course:

Syllabus

Request the entire syllabus if only a snippet is available on the website. Evaluate whether it covers the key fundamental concepts, especially if you are a beginner. If you have some experience in the field, assess whether the advanced courses cover specific strategies or tools relevant to you.

Expertise of Instructors

Check out your instructors on LinkedIn to learn more about their experience. You need a combination of instructors who are not just industry experts but have a teaching style that is right for you.

Career Goals

If your goal is to get a job, go for a course with vibrant career support and CV and interview support. If your goal is to network, then a course with instructors who work at the companies you eventually see yourself working at is ideal.

Related Read: Data Science Interview Questions

Reviews and Ratings

Comb through review websites with detailed testimonials by students who have completed the course. If possible, interact with them on community threads to understand the reasoning behind their ratings.

Pricing

Pick courses that have flexible payment plans. An ideal option may be to choose a course with a return guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the course or don’t land a job soon after graduating.

Schedule

Choose a course that goes at a pace that works for you, even if it means a course with a light workload each week. Not picking an intensive course is alright if you have other commitments.

Projects and Practical Experience 

Theoretical knowledge and testing will not be sufficient to assess whether you want to participate in this field. Only when you test the waters with real-life projects will you be able to gauge how you see your career pan out with data storytelling.

Making the Most Out of Your Data Storytelling Course

Ask yourself these questions to make the most of your data storytelling course:

How Will the Course Work?

Understanding how the course will work before it begins is vital. Go with a course that goes beyond theoretical knowledge and covers practical and real-world applications. The best data storytelling courses will give you 1-on-1 face time with your instructors or advisors.

What Should You Expect To Learn During a Data Storytelling Course?

A data storytelling course should cover the fundamentals by using real-world examples. If you take advanced courses, you will work on hands-on projects that mimic mid-level projects and learn skills data analysts have.

What Will Your Schedule Look Like?

Most of these courses recommend a study time of 8-12 hours per week. Whether you choose a course with live classes or pre-recorded sessions, you can create a timetable to ensure consistency with the course. Try to pace the lessons for better absorption of information.

FAQs About Data Storytelling Courses

Here are some frequently asked questions about data storytelling courses:

Since you’re here…
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