Communicating Insight

White Paper - Communicating the Goods

Communicating the Goods

• Get To The Heart Of The Matter - No researcher, no matter how talented can save the day if the right questions were never asked. Why wouldn't they be asked? Well, by the time middle management has laid out a series of detailed objectives (God help you if this was done by committee), the core purpose may have become hopelessly blurred. That becomes your problem when management arrives at your presentation with one key question. To avoid spontaneous perspiration in your shoes (trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling), ask your client this, "What is the one question this research must address?". There's no guarantee your findings will provide a clear answer to this "nucleus" question (if only every hypothesis was significant). But at least you can look management in the eye and say you covered the issue. Based on my experience, I recommend building your research design around the "nucleus" question.
  
  
• Learn To Write In English - When I started in this business 20 years ago, I was taught a language I call "research-ese". In essence, it's a style of run on sentences, with a fondness for juxtapositions. For example "The perceptual map indicates that those respondents with a penchant for Kung-Fu movies were more enthusiastic over the acting talents of David Carridine than those with less enthusiasm, although The Karate Kid enthusiast cohorts echoed a sentiment similar to the aforementioned subgroup." Reading this stuff is like being stuck in a traffic circle. You're merrily going in one direction when suddenly the road swerves on you. After a few more sentences, you realize you've made a wrong turn somewhere between "although" and "cohorts". Write in simple declarative sentences. There is no correlation between complex subject matter and complex sentences. There is only a correlation between bad sentences and bad writing.
  
  
• Visualize The Findings - Years ago, I was presenting the results of a segmentation analysis to the agency's creatives. My boss insisted by beginning with a detailed review of the methodology. With systematic precision, he managed to suck the life force out of the audience. When I presented the findings, intended to guide the direction of a major campaign, it fell on deaf ears. Boy, I felt terrible. The research was solid, we had made important discoveries but we had failed miserably in conveying this direction. I insisted we make one more attempt. This time we began with a slide show of typical geeky teens (the key quadrant). "Ladies and gentlemen", I began, "this is your target. Everything I have to say will make sense if you keep your eyes on the target." With that I made the exact same presentation. Since no one heard me the first time, my words were met with newfound enthusiasm. Feverish notes (always a great sign) were taken. I had made the connection with my audience. Once the findings became real, their willingness to listen increased dramatically. My advice, take a few chances, be creative and above all, make that connection with your audience.
  
  
• Expand Reach With New Technology - As a long time report writer, I know that most clients only read the executive summary. However, I'm optimistic that CD/DVD reports will help break that barrier. For example, a client could scan through an index of available topics and quickly zero in on a key area. Interactive multimedia could be added (e.g. audio or video taped interviews) to further convey the voice of the customer. Another opportunity comes from the Internet. Secured web sites allow us to post data on a daily basis. This could allow a client to see the latest tracking numbers while waiting for a plane. All of this adds convenience, which increases the likelihood our results will be seen. As I see it, our corporate customers are striving for their management's attention. It's time we (outside suppliers) get a little braver and a little more creative in making that happen.