RESEARCH
Sharing the results of customer research can be challenging. As researchers we love detailed presentations, with lots of charts and graphs, but that doesn’t work for everyone. When it comes to sharing the right results to the right
It’s useful to be clear about what the purpose of the summary is. It needs to:
journalism. You’re aiming for something which has the attention-grabbing headline
• Get attention
and spare writing of good journalism, the
• Make a case with specific recommendations
clear explanation of data and visual strength
(based on evidence)
of a good academic poster, and the layer of
• Drive action and decisions
interpretation and clear recommendations
These are the “Hook”, “Contrast”, and
that make for a good exec summary.
“Mission” steps that characterise a good business story, and that’s exactly why you
What is “insight”?
people we need to craft a summary that gets
need the one page summary. Unlike the
attention, makes a strong case, and leaves a
dashboard, and the full slide deck of findings,
lasting memory.
the one page summary is first and foremost
is agencies claiming to deliver “insights”
a narrative argument. You’re making a case,
rather than just “research findings”. It’s
grounded in insight, that supports specific
often more of a marketing claim than a real
recommendations for action.
distinction, but what should you be looking
Why one page? The first question about your one-page
It’s also an opportunity to signpost people
One of the clichés of the research industry
for if you want your one-page summary to
summary is probably: do I really need one?
towards the more detailed findings if they’re
To answer that, it’s useful to think about
interested, but you shouldn’t feel the need to
what the one page summary isn’t. It’s not
include everything in your summary. In fact,
difference between a research finding and
a dashboard. It’s not a full report. It’s not a
the more you can leave out the better!
insight is the difference between saying:
piece of internal comms, although many of the same principles would apply to designing it effectively. So if you already have all those things (and you probably should), do you really need to add more work to the list? Unfortunately
deliver insights? As Jeremy Bullmore explained, the
“Product satisfaction arises less from inherent The one page summary is a narrative
construction and performance than from
call to action, something to grab attention,
consumers' internalised perceptions of personal
get across some key information, and drive
utility.”
change. What’s the best way to approach that?
for you, the answer is definitely “yes” if you
I think we need to draw together the best
want your research to get the attention it
bits from 3 models: the executive summary,
deserves.
the academic poster presentation, and
12 Customer Insight Autumn 2021 | www.tlfresearch.com
and Theodore Levitt’s famous observation: “People don't want quarter-inch drills. They want quarter-inch holes.” The point is that presentation matters. If you can find a punchy, memorable way to put
