Finding and Communicating the Story in the Data – on demand training

Storytelling is now a core skill for professionals working in research and insight. The growing popularity of storytelling highlights a major need, namely, how to find the story in the research data.

Though great graphics and wonderful communication are only useful if the underlying story is the right story. This on-demand course focuses on what comes before the storytelling, i.e. how to take information (for example market research data) and reliably find the key messages. Delivered with a mix of example material (e.g. what the approaches are and case studies) along with some practical exercises to try within the course.

Aims and objectives

Finding and Communicating the Story in the Data shares techniques for systematically and reliably finding the message buried in data and information. Some people are blessed with the ability to intuitively find the story, but they tend to struggle to teach others to be intuitive. The approach covered in Finding the Story in the Data is designed to be taught; it does not rely on creative or intuitive jumps and can be used in team situations.

This on-line course will enable you to:

• Understand the role of frameworks in finding the message in information
• Identify the sort of problem that is being addressed
• Identify the sort of answer that is needed
• Master techniques for manipulating data sets to reveal the story
• Craft the story from the information
  
  

Who will benefit?

This course benefits professionals who need to work with information (quantitative and/or qualitative) to find answers, solutions, and insight. This is likely to include market researchers and insight managers although would also include brand managers and senior executives. While the focus of the material used will be drawn from market research, the techniques are equally applicable to anybody using evidence-based decision-making, for example people involved in R&D, HR and even finance.

Trainer – Ray Poynter

Ray Poynter is an experienced trainer as well as author of The Handbook of Mobile Market Research, The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research and the #IPASOCIALWORKS Guide to Measuring Not Counting, the founder of NewMR.org, editor of the ESOMAR book Answers to Contemporary Market Research Questions, a content author for the University of Georgia’s Principles of Market Research course, and is MD of The Future Place, a UK-based consultancy, specialising in training. Ray has spent the last 35 years at the intersection of innovation, technology and market research, during which time he has held director level positions with Vision Critical, Virtual Surveys, the Research Business, Millward Brown, Sandpiper and IntelliQuest. Despite being hugely qualified he sees his mission in life to: ‘Have fun, help people, pursue knowledge and try to make some money along the way.’