10. How to Present the Findings

(Textbook page 389)

This textbook unit discusses basic communications principles and approaches to report writing, presentations and workshops to ensure research findings are accessible, useable and shareable within the client organization.  

Deliverables can include: 

• the full set of research instruments (questionnaires, sampling and tab plans)
• field disposition reports (number of interviews completed and incidence and qualification rates)
• a topline report (an early and succinct view into the data focused only on key objectives)
• the final deliverable (could include raw data, data cross-tabulations, a written report and a personal presentation and/or workshop)

Structure of a Formal Research Report (P.391)

Deliverables should be in formats that can be used and circulated within the client organization with minimal changes – sometimes a delicate balance between the client’s style sheet and the supplier’s own branding.  Most reports should include:

• Title or Cover Page – provides the study name, names of the research house and client, and the date.  The “look” sets the tone and should carry through the whole report.
• Executive Summary – contains a brief summary of objectives, methodology and key findings in one or two slides with bullet points or more visual representations.  It is read first, intensely and by senior people who may not read the rest of the report.  
• Background – outlines why the client commissioned the study; the marketing problem. 
• Objectives – lists the key research objectives as written in the proposal the client had accepted.
• Methodology – describes the research process, target population, sampling and field methodology, data cleaning and analytics methods, all to confirm the validity of the project.  
• Key Findings – the core of the report, answering as directly as possible: who was asked, what was asked, what did they say and what does it mean. 
  • While results are traditionally presented with a headline, question asked, a table or graph of numerical frequencies and a sidebar with interpretation, more innovative and visual approaches are emerging.
  • It is good practice to organize the report around the objectives so readers can easily find the answers to their business questions. 
  • The guiding principle should be to keep the reader’s interest with succinct and direct writing and well-designed tables, charts, graphics and infographics
• Recommendations – are where the researcher becomes a trusted advisor, recommending a course of action for the business. 
• Appendix – contains additional methodological information and the questionnaire, results that have no bearing on the storyline and alternative views of the data 
• Contact information and project number – should be included to help find the right researcher later when questions arise or the study is to be replicated.

Basic Principles of Communication (P.397)

• Write with your audience in mind – including your clients’ internal clients
• Make your report readable and usable, remembering that in a presentation format (e.g. PowerPoint) each page is treated as a single and complete unit.  
• Tips are offered with explanations in this textbook unit: 
  • Use fewer words
  • Don’t be afraid of white space
  • Select a non-intrusive, light background and dark text
  • Use clipart and images intelligently
  • Use an easy-to-read font
  • Use colours judiciously
  • Don’t overdo emphasis
  • Don’t overuse charts and graphs
  • Simplify charts
  • Make your headings tell a story
  • Keep sidebars focused on insights

Reproducible Research (P.415)

•    R Markdown and Jupyter Notebooks are Graphical User Interfaces that let you produce full text-based or slide-base reports based on interim data, and then automatically read and update the report when final data is available. 

Live Presentations: Principles (P.417)

• Written reports are linear, explaining the content because no one is there to explain it.  Fonts are smaller, and ideas are developed regardless of the space they occupy. 
• In a presentation, the focus is on the presenter who explains the argument while the slides reinforce and illustrate, add proof and visual interest and
  are markers (what topic are we on?). 
• Presentation principles include: 
  • Create a storyboard to think through the best way to tell the story
  • Keep your presentations short by communicating only the critical findings. Think carefully about how many slides you can show in the allotted time.
  • Know your audience and what they expect
  • Use fonts that make it easy to read from the back of the room or on smartphone screens
  • Be economical with words
  • Simplify graphs
  • Make your charts as lean as possible
  • Keep gimmicks to a minimum
  • Be mentally prepared by knowing your material and rehearsing 
  • Work on your physical presence and speaking style (see textbook tips)

How to Integrate the Findings: The Workshop (P.427)

To ensure the report doesn’t disappear into the archives, set up a workshop with exercises that help stakeholders apply the findings to the decisions they will have to make.  This section of the textbook unit offers tips to help a researcher organize and facilitate a workshop, an added step that elevates the research function and brings it into strategic discussions.