To even the most highly-trained and well-educated analytics professional, sometimes the biggest hurdle to overcome is not understanding the problem (opportunity) at hand, and not setting up potential solutions to deliver the upmost in quality; but actually compiling the results together in a manner which delivers maximum value to the intended audience.

This hurdle is especially prevalent in the analytics universe, due to its ever-evolving landscape and seemingly overabundance of potential solutions. The question that comes up more often than not when compiling the presentation/deliverable to showcase the highlights from an analytics-based case study is “How do I deliver the maximum value to the audience, in an understandable way?”

This is not always easy. In fact, based on the level of complexity and the nature of the analytics opportunity you are presenting, it could be daunting. Sometimes incredibly daunting. That is why I have put together a summary list of some of the Best Practices to utilize, to ensure your audience gets the most value out of your analytics presentation/ deliverable.

  1. Hide the complexity as much as possible. Even though there might have been an incredible time investment, including many different processes, involved in getting to the solution(s) you are presenting, it is important to not take away from the focus of the presentation/deliverable. You can always keep the additional level(s) of detail in back-up slides/ notes if any follow-up questions need to be addressed.
  2. Know your audience as well as possible. While this sounds like a no-brainer, it is also a good idea to know their level of technical expertise and comfort level with analytics beforehand; so you can cater the presentation to make sure it is understandable and delivers maximum value to them.
  3. Ensure your presentation/ deliverable is focusing on solutions to problems (opportunities) that are clearly/ previously defined. In this case, the goal is to bring the solution back to the starting point of the project, and ensure that what you are providing is solving the problem(s) that were originally stated. Many times, there are additional problems or sub-problems that may arise as you uncover valuable insights along the way – these are important to note if they add value to solving the overarching problems (opportunities) originally stated.
  4. Be fully prepared for a discussion-based presentation. When presenting complex issues, there may be many questions along the way, from your audience, to gain a better understanding of what you are presenting. Use this as an opportunity to enhance their takeaways of the presentation/ deliverable, maximizing their value.
  5. Be flexible in offering a customized solution. More often than not, by the end of a complicated project, the analytics professional has had to make quite a lot of strict assumptions and follow a very procedural method in order to get to the solution(s) they are presenting. Even though they had to utilize this very rigorous process, it is important to allow some flexibility in the solution that allows for further customization, per any additional restrictions/opportunities that might come up.
  6. In terms of visuals for the presentation/deliverable, keep it simple and focused. When putting together the visuals for the presentation, it is easy to overcomplicate matters in a hurry. Think about it like this: the significance of the visuals is to add clarity and understanding to the primary points of the presentation/deliverable. Putting together charts, graphs, or even data visualizations should summarize the key points of the presentation. The visuals should answer more questions than they bring up.
  7. Further educate your audience. In order to deliver as much value as possible, use available opportunities (breaks in between presentations, networking opportunities, etc.) to educate your audience on the power and potential of analytics. There may be additional solutions that the audience has not yet thought of, that could add significant value to them.
  8. Further empower your audience. A trend in analytics today is the inclusion of reports/ deliverables that allow for the user to interact with the report, seeing the data analyzed by specific filters (such as time periods, specific sales reps, etc.) they have chosen. This allows the user to bring up any data they need to see without going through the process of requesting an additional report. Also included in this is making your report/ deliverable dynamic, to answer the “what-if” questions that marketers often raise. This will empower your audience with confidence they need to make quicker, more informed decisions.

The purpose of these Best Practices are to allow the user to deliver the maximum value possible to their audience. These are just some of the Best Practices to consider when presenting complex analytic situations. While every situation is a little different, it is important to keep these in mind when adding as much value as possible. I know I review them for every project I work on, which allows me to ensure the audience gets the most of any of my presentations/deliverables.