How to Better Present Market Research Findings

Insightful is one of those words researchers love to hear used by clients to describe their work – it’s always the end goal! 

But what makes something insightful for one client may be very different from another, so there’s quite a bit of nuance to consider when researchers prepare for reports and presentations. 

Check out these tips on what makes an insightful market research presentation.

It Starts with the Research

The first tip (likely a little obvious) is that a great market research debrief starts with solid research and creating an effective report. 

What makes research “effective”? Many things go into solid research, but a lot of it comes down to understanding two factors: 1) the client’s goals/objectives and 2) how they plan to use the results. The answers to these questions, along with knowing how comfortable they are with market research, help researchers craft effective research, reports, and presentations. 

Some tips to get a report on the right track include:

• Reviewing the proposal and kickoff notes right before you start diving into the data/start reporting
• Coming up with a plan about how you want to attack/set up the report. (Bonus points if you start this in the survey phase. If you can think about this even earlier in the research process, you can draft your survey with the analysis in mind, which streamlines the entire project.)
• Starting with the question-by-question analysis – see what pops!
• Moving to analysing crosstabs – what’s useful to call out?
• When creating visualizations, think about ways to create a visual/graphical representation of the data that lets clients understand how to take action in a snap. (Reminder: Think about how comfortable your client is with data. Some may prefer more numerical data, while others may prefer higher-level summaries.)
• Once you’ve got a handle on the data, think about your story/key insights, reviewing these closely while keeping the goals/objectives top of mind.

Looking for more on reporting? Here’s how to get the most out of your survey data.

Presentation Tips

There are so many tips and tricks to presenting research, but the big tip is going back to understanding the two core factors above: 1) the client’s goals/objectives and 2) how they plan to use the results (in addition to keeping in mind how familiar they are with research).

Once this understanding is established, researchers can customize the presentation accordingly. Here are some tips to consider:

• Schedule the presentation a few days after the report is delivered in the hopes that the client(s) have a chance to review it before the meeting.
• If the core people in the presentation meeting have been involved in the process from start to finish, try to avoid recapping unnecessary information unless it’s pertinent (i.e., consider what they already know about the background information and keep recaps about the background/methodology of the research short and sweet).
• If you’re someone who likes to prepare for presentations, think about what makes you feel confident/sets you up for success. This may mean blocking off the hour or so before the meeting to re-read the core deliverables so they’re fresh in your mind, writing down notes, thinking about transitions, etc.
• The best presentations are discussions about how to use the research results (rather than simply talking about what the results are), to help set the tone for this. Think about/plan out specific questions for the client to help facilitate this conversation.

Post Presentation Tips

See an update you want to make to your report during the presentation? Perhaps an extra crosstab/audience segment analysis? Love it! (Especially when it’s the result of a great conversation about next steps with the client. It’s the reason many reports are deemed a draft until after the Q&A discussion!)

In addition to addressing any updates the client would like to see made to the report, think about ways to further support their initiatives with research. These thoughts/ideas/recommendations don’t need to end after the presentation – consider ways to regularly follow up with past clients! 

This might include:

• A general check in
• Asking what ROI in the research they’ve seen – here’s more on how to calculate the ROI of research
• How they’ve used the results
• New industry-related tips/insights, etc.

Contact Drive Research

A strong debrief starts with strong research. As a full-service market research company, we specialize in crafting reports and presentations that clearly communicate insights, align with your goals, and spark action. If you’re looking for expert support in turning data into decisions, our team is here to help.