During a recent virtual public workshop hosted by Storytelling with Data, a participant posed a compelling and deeply relatable question that strikes at the heart of modern corporate communication. The participant’s inquiry, when paraphrased, captured a universal dilemma faced by analysts, researchers, and communicators across industries: how does one effectively tell a story that an audience either does not want to hear or is not currently prepared to focus on?
At first glance, the initial reaction to such a scenario might be one of surprise. After all, conventional communication wisdom suggests that presenters should share what matters to their audience, aligning closely with their interests and immediate goals. Why would anyone intentionally bring up a topic that their listeners are seemingly indifferent to or actively trying to avoid? However, as the discussion unfolded and a few follow-up questions were asked, the underlying dynamics of the situation came into sharp focus.
It quickly became apparent that the challenge was not born out of sheer apathy or stubbornness from the audience. Instead, the individual in question was preparing to deliver an update to stakeholders who were expecting the information to be framed in a very specific, predetermined way. They had a narrative in mind, an established strategy that everyone had ostensibly agreed upon, and a set of expectations regarding what the project’s progress update would look like.
The complication arose because the exploratory analysis and the resulting findings pointed in a distinctly different direction. The data was telling one story, while the audience was eagerly waiting for another.
This realization reframed the entire problem. The true challenge was not that the audience rejected the story outright; rather, they were simply expecting a completely different one. When an audience is caught off guard by findings that diverge from their assumptions, they experience cognitive friction. Acknowledging those pre-existing expectations before introducing new or contradictory findings serves as a vital bridge. It helps the audience make the psychological transition from what they thought they were going to hear to what the data is actually revealing.
Navigating this terrain is inherently difficult. As a communicator, you are tasked with a delicate balancing act. You need to understand deeply why the audience holds those specific expectations in the first place—recognizing the history, the strategic goals, and the pressures driving their mindset—while still faithfully surfacing what the underlying analysis actually shows. Sweeping inconvenient facts under the rug is never a viable solution, but neither is ignoring the psychological context of the people receiving the message.
Addressing this exact tension forms the foundation of how professional communicators must approach difficult conversations. So, how does one successfully tell a story that an audience initially resists or prefers to ignore?
The answer lies in first making sure it is a story they can genuinely understand, care about, and see as directly relevant to the decisions sitting squarely in front of them. When content has been thoughtfully tailored to the specific audience at hand—providing them with a clear, undeniable sense of why the message matters, whether framed through the lens of emerging opportunities, hidden risks, or tangible business impact—even a difficult message stands a much higher chance of being received in the right spirit.
When stakeholders realize that an unexpected finding is not merely an obstacle or a contradiction for the sake of being difficult, but rather a crucial piece of intelligence designed to protect the organization or guide better decisions, their posture often shifts from defensive resistance to engaged problem-solving.
This scenario is far from isolated. For professionals who find themselves grappling with similar hurdles in their day-to-day work, the broader data storytelling community frequently encounters these exact friction points. For instance, data storytellers Alli and Ryan recently explored a related, highly common challenge on an episode of the Storytelling with Data podcast, focusing specifically on what a practitioner should do when a leader asks them to find data that simply proves them right. Tuning into discussions like these can offer valuable perspectives and practical reassurance for those navigating complex organizational dynamics.
Ultimately, the overarching goal of data storytelling is never to actively avoid an uncomfortable truth in favor of keeping the peace or confirming prior biases. Instead, the objective is to bring those realities to light in a way that is clear, deeply relevant, and genuinely useful in service of the organization’s broader, long-term success.
