Something I keep hearing from clients, who are looking for a new research and insights vendor, is that they need a partner who understands them and doesn't just flip back data decks. They need their insights partner to weave the data into relevant and insightful stories to have impact. Otherwise the client has to dig through mountains of data to find it themselves - and that's frustrating. This feels pretty obvious right? But the thing is, I keep hearing this over and over. It makes me wonder, how well are research agencies training their people in the art of storytelling? And how much time are research professionals practicing this craft outside of project work? There are ton of storytelling trainings out there - but I want to share one book that I come back to again and again to continually hone my skill in storytelling: The 3-Minute Rule by Brant Pinvidic. The book goes into non-conventional story flow and dissects the elements that makes your work impactful in the eye of your audience and your audience's audience. And it isn't just the same story curve we all already know about :) If your team is getting dinged on report writing and presenting data - this book is a great one to read and practice through together. #Storytelling #Insights #Impact #MRX #MarketResearch #Presentations
Thanks for bringing the Storytelling Problem to the forefront, Kate Whittle. There are so many elements to storytelling, not the least of which is knowing your audience and also taking a stand on the data. As for honing our craft outside of work - yup, all types of resources for that beyond webinars & training. Just this weekend I did my 3rd stint at Northeast Storytelling where you stand up to tell a crafted or work in process story. Liberating and a learning experience. People can check their libraries and also Eventbrite for local chapters of these groups. 🎤
Excellent question. In my experience, some people struggle with this because they do not understand the question they really need to answer. So the agency delivers an 80 page deck and they hope you find something of interest. Better upfront discussion of the issues that really need to be addressed to make a business impact can lead to identifying the important among the interesting. With that, you can directly answer the real question and more easily focus on developing a story to bring it to life.
Kristian A. Alomá, Ph.D.’s book, Start with the Story, is another good resource.
I know that book, Kate! Great tip.
Wholeheartedly agree with this ... but can I add a complimentary perspective? Clients need to treat their agencies like partners. Give them context, share the strategy, voice the business questions. The more context an agency has, the better the analysis and the storytelling. I worked on both agency and client sides and have seen first hand how the impact of research grows exponentially when it's anchored in the business.
I agree. LRW used to be great at this and now under the new regime it feels like the company has severely lost its way. Seems like training into how it used to be is needed
This is what I focus on in my role at my MR firm—will have to check out this book and see how it can benefit my team! Thanks for sharing!
Great recommendation! Thanks Kate!
Business Research Professor | Senior Market Researcher & UX Researcher | Relevant Insights Founder and Chief Research Officer
3moKate Whittle, Storytelling with data requires first understanding the data and connecting the dots. For that, you need foundational knowledge of marketing and research methodology principles, plus an understanding of the business problem and industry for which you are researching. Add to that time for deep thinking. In an era where speed and cost are prioritized over quality, those clients complaining about this are often unwilling to pay for insights development that can lead to good data storytelling. Storytelling training often focuses on form and structure. To pull the story behind the data requires data immersion, analytical skills, and thinking time. These are not learned in boot camp-style training or reading one book. They require guided and sustained training, many more books, and working with others who can challenge your thinking.