Data Storytelling
in the Age of AI
For years, I left data storytelling workshops with the same quiet worry: Would participants actually apply what we practiced together? The pull of familiar tools and old processes is strong, especially when staff are stretched thin and the next deadline is already looming.
AI changes that equation. Not because it does the work for you, but because it gives your team a capable adviser for the work: available long after the workshop ends, ready to help you prioritize your audiences, brainstorm a visualization approach, or sharpen how a finding gets communicated.
What This Is
“Data Storytelling in the Age of AI” is a hands-on workshop that teaches social sector professionals how to work with AI thoughtfully to communicate data, understanding what it does well, where its limits are, and how to keep human judgment in the driver’s seat.
Participants leave with a practical framework they can use immediately: how to frame prompts effectively, how to push past a first response, and how to use AI as a thinking partner, not just a shortcut. The goal is straightforward: You should be able to start building more engaging data content on day one after the training.
This workshop is customized to your organization’s data and your communication goals. It’s not fixed curriculum; it’s built around what your team actually needs.
Who This Is for
This workshop is designed for nonprofits, health organizations, foundations and their grantees, government agencies, and universities whose staff work with data regularly and want to communicate findings more effectively – and more efficiently. No prior AI experience is needed.
Before launching this offering, Hillcrest Advisory piloted this training with three clients and fine-tuned the teaching approach based on learnings.
Interested in bringing Data Storytelling in the Age of AI to your organization?
What Participants Learn
How to frame prompts effectively by moving beyond vague questions to get useful AI output
How to use follow-up questions to push AI further, rather than accepting the first response
How to use AI as a creative brainstorming partner – for visualization ideas, presentation formats, and drafting write-ups of findings
How to review AI output critically, recognizing where it helps and where human judgment has to take over
How to integrate these habits into everyday data communication work
A Glimpse of the Workshop
Here’s a sample of the kind of practical framework participants take away. These eight follow-up prompts help teams refine any chart with AI’s assistance – pushing toward clearer findings and communication that works for the intended audience.
The workshop blends demonstration, hands-on practice, and group debrief. Participants aren’t just watching AI work – they’re using it themselves, with real data and real communication challenges.
