Measurement ain’t easy. You’ve done the hard work of planning your measurement program and collecting the data. And now you face more hard work: You’ve got to analyze that data, gain some valuable insights, and then put together some bang-up charts that will communicate your new knowledge to your boss or client. Here’s some help with that last part.
Start out by doing a little prep work. In other words, learn some data analysis tricks by reading “Turn That Chart On Its Side! And 2 More Ways to Get New Insights From Your Data.” Then read “How to Get a Seat at the Table in 5 Easy Steps.” Even if you don’t have to present to the board yourself, you’ll learn how to step up your game to play with the big kids.
Now you are ready to work on your charts. Here are eight tips:
- Start with validated clean data that you understand well enough to explain to a child. Because you are going to need to: The attention span of the board is less than that of a two-year-old.
- Make sure you have at least three data points to work with so can analyze the relationships between the data.
- Make sure you have both qualitative and quantitative data. You need to know the why, not just the how many.
- Always transpose your data and look at it from a variety of angles.
- Go back and review the purpose and goals of the research. Have you answered all the questions in a way that your boss’ boss will understand?
- Use color coding to highlight key data points.
- Be consistent in color usage. Explain what the colors mean at the beginning of your report or presentation.
- Remember that you are telling a story. Find the three most salient points and use the data to make those points. Throw out any data that doesn’t help tell the story. ∞
(image: Shutterstock)
