Data Literacy Takes the Stage

I am incredibly proud of this program, which is designed to help solve an important skills gap and enable everyone to become data literate. So, I like to say that we truly “partied” Data Literacy at Qonnections this year; including a keynote just on that topic, roundtables and breakout sessions, and a showcase in the expo hall. If you weren’t able to join us, or you missed some of the activity, here’s a little recap with my favorite things …

Interacting with our customers and partners

This may sound like an obvious thing, but the ability to “qonnect” with people at the event on the topic of data literacy was so impactful and enjoyable. Whether it was at my breakout sessions or at our Data Literacy booth, I loved to talk to people and discuss their thoughts on data literacy, their concerns, and what they are trying to do within their organizations. Through these conversations, I also got some great input that will help us continue to build out the program and make it more effective. One key takeaway, just because Qonnections is over…don’t stop reaching out!

Sharing the stage with experts

I had the wonderful opportunity to share the main stage with two brilliant minds and pioneers in the world of Data Literacy: Valerie Logan from Gartner and Rahul Bhargava from MIT. Valerie outlined the need for us to speak the language of data, to build a second language within ourselves. You can read more on her work and approach here. Rahul brought his perspective on Data Literacy, showing different ways to build up this important skill-set. You can find out more about his work here. Overall, it was a great opportunity to do a deeper dive on what Data Literacy is, what it means, and how to address it – going beyond just the product and into the human element.

Teaching and sharing best practices

The week of Qonnections went by in a blur, in a good way, and I think that is because I feel like I was running around to ensure I made it to each of the breakout sessions I was presenting. We offered a full calendar of Data Literacy sessions this year — covering many different topics including adoption and roadmap best practices to build a data literacy initiative, data literacy culture, data storytelling, data-driven decision making, and more. These sessions were filled with fun and great discussions! Questions around “how do I implement this in my organization” came up several times. Stay tuned as we roll out more around the strategy and framework to help you get buy-in and do this in your own organizations.

Quizzing people on their persona

This year we had our own booth dedicated to data literacy. We used it as a venue not only to introduce our new program, but also to quiz people on their data personas.I loved how many people played to find out their comfort level with data literacy, then took a button away to represent their persona.

Walking the talk

I am truly excited about our launch of a full, global data literacy education program at Qonnections. We’re not just talking about data literacy and its importance, but we are offering real solutions that everyone can benefit from regardless of their role, skill level, or even the BI tools they use. Within this program, you can find a Skills-Assessment, Instructor Led Learning, Self-Paced Learning, Data Analytics Certification, and the Academic Program. Not only did the program launch, one of the parts I am most proud of is that most of the program has no-cost tied to it. Go and check-out the program at qlik.com/GetDataLiterate.

Qonnections provided an amazing platform to discuss and launch more in the world of data literacy. One key thing to remember is that data literacy learning and adoption is iterative, and we need to approach it as such. I am doing the same with the data literacy program we have at Qlik. We will continue to launch new courses, new material, and new thought leadership around this amazing topic. For now, let’s continue to help everyone and every organization become more data literate.