Technical Chops Alone Not Cutting It. Time for Data Analytics and Research Insights to Get Touchy-Feely.
Technical Chops Alone Not Cutting It. Time for Data Analytics and Research Insights to Get Touchy-Feely
Here’s an inconvenient truth: Technology and data alone isn’t going to win the day for analytics and research insights professionals – it takes the people behind the numbers learning how to tell the story.
(https://unsplash.com/photos/k39RGHmLoV8)
It’s time to pivot from a tech focus to a people and tech focus.
While technological tools have the power to simplify work and help solve problems—a tool is a facilitator and enabler of human capability—not its proxy or replacement. Analytics in particular can sometimes forget the human component in the excitement over data tools — the true potential of data will perpetually remain on the sidelines until the humanity of what is behind the data becomes the story. The idea of progress will be mired in purgatory until we shift our focus to a more expansive, people-oriented understanding of data.
There’s a dearth of data professionals who have the communication skills, emotional intelligence, empathy, and business perspective to complement their technical chops—which means that data is not being seen through a human lens, but too often as numbers living at some juncture on X, Y, Z coordinates.
And more is not better. We are overwhelmed with information primarily because we have yet to learn how to tame it effectively. Accumulating more data does not mean expanding our understanding of it. Just because our ability to collect and store data has increased exponentially doesn’t mean our comprehension is enhanced. The more data you have, the less information you gain as a proportion of the data—hearkening to principles of marginal utility, signal to noise, and diminishing returns.
Data-driven insights are intended to augment understanding of human behavior and actions, but if the “people” component is sidelined, how can we truly see (and share) the BIG picture and recognize all points of interest and value?
Humans connect the dots.
We are better at seeing connections than any software, though humans often need technology to help process information. The lens of human “intuition” can discern trends and patterns that are essential for deeper understanding. Opportunities are missed and mistakes made if we fail to understand and operationalize this human capability when analyzing data.
Numbers tell a story—the true role of data analysts and consumer insights professionals is to distill the narrative—and effectively communicate it.
Invest in communications skills development.
It is time to develop technical and communication skills for research insights AND data analytics professionals – who often focus on deeply technical things, from programming languages, software, statistics, and algorithms—but employers would gain more if there were a shift to valuing process and communication more highly. Software tools, hardware, and technical know-how matter, but human investment may be more important.
Here are some aspects of communication that can help data analytics and consumer insights practitioners connect.
Simplify.
Decision-makers want information that is easy to synthesize so that it can be actionable. Too much information flowing to executives can also make it difficult to focus on what’s most important.
Listen.
A huge part of successful communication is not speaking. If you want to deliver insights that businesses can act on, it’s essential to listen carefully to what they have to say. What are their: Priorities? Challenges? Problems? Pain points? Opportunities? Everything you do from a data perspective has to be in service of what the business needs. If you want your insights to matter, they must align with what the company needs to move forward.
Contextualize.
If you want to stand out, invest in data visualization tools yes but also secondary research. Seek sources beyond the data set to help you better understand the challenge’s significance in a larger business context.
Tell compelling data stories.
Conversations about narrative form—or data storytelling—are buzzing in analytics circles. But many equate the term with data visualization. While useful infographics are an essential tool of the trade (Edward Tufte has made a compelling case for years about the importance of envisioning information), stories are told in words and reference real people who make up the data points. An analytics professional’s true vocation is to unearth the human stories hidden within the data and use them as compelling persuasion tools. Natural, conversational language, brevity, and an empathetic tone pave the path of communication success.
The average adult attention span is eight seconds, so learn to make your work relevant to your audience. Data gives rise to information and insight, but they are not the same. Human intelligence is the discerning factor—connecting the dots between the data and its relevance to strategic initiatives is critical to move the business forward – accordingly human capital may be your most important investment.