The data is collected, the analysis is complete, the visual displays polished, and the handouts lovingly crafted. You’ve done the hard work, now it’s Show Time! It’s time to bring the results to life for your audience — the colleagues who will use your work to inform important business decisions.
But wait! Before you cue the curtain, take a few minutes to consider these three ideas that could spell the difference between rave reviews and artistic obscurity.
1. Address likely criticisms before they do. Be sure to describe the sample population to your audience in the first 10 minutes of your presentation; state the sample sources and the qualification criteria. When research cynics don’t like the results they will often proclaim, “You must have done research with poorly qualified participants.” Hopefully that wasn’t the case, and you’re confident the respondents were qualified. Still, you need a preemptive strike early in the presentation to address likely concerns clearly.
2. Celebrity endorsements work. An executive from your company is sort of a like a celebrity, so encourage them to make a cameo appearance for the presentation. Prepare the endorser to make sure she or he is ready to make a statement about why the research is important and how the team members should seek to apply it.
3. Don’t stress if you have “BAD” news: It’s a good idea for anyone presenting research results to remember that you are only the messenger–and we don’t shoot messengers. You’ve created a research project that gathers and presents the attitudes and behaviors of customers and prospects. If response starts to get heated, simply remind them that you are sharing the results and are happy to discuss how best to interpret them.
As the virtual curtain falls and the lights come up, take a look at your audience. Accept their applause graciously and answer the inevitable flurry of questions. If you’ve done the research carefully, and followed these points during your presentation, they’ll all be taking away something of value from your performance. And you, my friend, will have enjoyed your moment in the spotlight.
