Increase your impact by learning to combine data and storytelling
With the world awash with data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) beginning to take over many of the more routine tasks of the public sector – what do public servants need to learn to remain relevant and effective?
Dr Zina O’Leary, ANZSOG’s Data and Storytelling for Policy Program Lead, says that to be influential and maximise impact public servants need to become better communicators to build trust in an uncertain environment.
“Whether it be climate change, political change, or further technology change, we don’t know what's going to come up in the next ten years, but we must become resilient, proactive, and much more purposeful with our communication,” she said.
She says that the fusion of data and storytelling is emerging as a powerful and persuasive technique for public servants to communicate the need for change and influence their communities.
Being more purposeful in communicating with the public
The Data & Storytelling for Policy program will give public sector professionals ideas and tools to better use data and storytelling to inform and improve policy decisions, and help them think more deeply about their purpose as public servants.
Using real cases, group discussions and peer coaching, the program explores:
Understanding the politics and practice of influencing policy
The importance of story in policy communication
The why, what and how of data
Integrating data and story
Impactful communication skills
Dr O’Leary said that often public sector communication ignored its impact on the audience and focused too much on the public sector’s own needs.
“We can sometimes be much too self-centred when it comes to communication. It’s more ‘I think you should know this’ or ‘here’s all the data we have’ rather than thinking ‘this is what my audience needs, and this is where I want my audience to go’,” she said.
“Public servants need to be clear on the purpose of every piece of communication and to really know their audience. Being purposeful is about having an audience-related objective, so knowing the audience is paramount.
“Having that objective and your end goal very clear in your mind will give you a strategic narrative, and the data and storytelling underneath that is offered to help move people along the journey.”
Using AI to improve human communication
With the sheer mass of data available, and AI taking the lead in data analysis, the opportunity for more robust data driven stories is ever growing.
“AI has enormous potential to aid us in better data analysis and storytelling, but we must know how to drive it,” Dr O’Leary said.
“We have access to an extraordinary amount of data, and until now we have not had access to tools to analyse that data efficiently. AI has huge value as something that can help us make meaning out of large masses of data and help us with storytelling.
“AI analysis, however, needs to be confirmed on the ground. If you are looking at a data trend, it is worth talking to real people and getting a sense of what’s happening out there. Combining quantitative and qualitative to look for things that ‘ring true’ as part of evaluation is really important.”
Dr O’Leary said that the whole field of communication, not just storytelling, would become more important for public servants in coming years.
“Communication has always been important, but public servants only have so much time and it is not always something we have been able to focus on,” she said.
“But AI is creating a shift from task-oriented work to a need for connection. This means working on communication skills, interpersonal skills, our engagement with community will become critical. Even if AI writes it better than you, it is not going to deliver it with the same authentic passion.”
“Public servants need to shift to asking: How am I going to make an impact? How am I going to motivate people? How am I building the trust we need to create in the community?
Moving from ideas to influence
Dr O’Leary said she wanted participants in the Data and Storytelling for Policy program to become more confident in their ability to influence community and the policy debate, and to use storytelling and data as critical tools to lift their impact and influence.
“I want them to use the power of the self as well and let their own energy and presence shine. Public servants are so extraordinarily dedicated, and they are not short of good ideas. But they need to know that good ideas and good intent are not enough. They need to find ways to communicate so that ideas turn into action.”
“This workshop is not about participants knowing what can be done. This is about getting them to have the confidence to apply it. It’s about making real change tomorrow,” she said.
Data & Storytelling for Policy at a glance
Who it’s for: This program is designed for early-to-mid career public sector professionals who work with policy, data, analysis or communication and want to strengthen how they communicate ideas and evidence.
Delivery: 2 x 3 hour sessions
2026 Course Dates: 14-15 October
What you will learn:
Whether you're communicating evidence, influencing decisions or engaging stakeholders, you'll develop the capability to:
Understand how evidence, politics, public expectations, stakeholder interests, institutional priorities and timing shape policy decisions and outcomes.
Source and select data that strengthens your policy narrative and supports your objectives.
Use data visualisation and storytelling techniques to communicate complex information clearly and effectively.
Register Now for the next delivery of the program through the ANZSOG website.
For more information:
You can visit the Data & Storytelling for Policy page on our website or you can contact us at engage@anzsog.edu.au or 1300 ANZSOG for more information