Sweet Spot

research · communication · organizations 23 February 2011

User statements as part of the exhibition „wo bisch?“ on telecommunication in the Museum of Communication in Berne.

Where is the sweet spot for communicating research data and/or insights?

I’ve seen presentations and reports with 200+ pages being ignored and rejected by clients, because they covered every miniscule insight in detail.

I’ve attended short and spontaneous presentations that only used a handful of photos, yet the insights presented became the perceived wisdom and travelled well beyond the target audience.

My feeling is that the sweet spot lies somewhere in between. In doubt, I’d say go for breadth first and get your insights out to the masses/clients/stakeholders, but be prepared to deliver depth upon request. Assuming that you did your homework well, it should be no problem to use this modus operandi.

After all, what’s good research worth if no one uses it?