Story
By Siddhi Wahal
Communicate insights , not facts -
Communication theory tells us that the transmitter and receiver of information must share a common domain of knowledge for information to be transmitted . This means analysts need to understand what the firm ’ s managers can understand . Small font sizes , complex figures and equations , the use of jargon , and an emphasis on the modeling process instead of insights and explanations are common errors when presenting analyses . Why should one use a complicated model to present information when a simple infographic would suffice ? Presentations should be organized around insights , rather than analytic approaches . This is another reason it is critical for analysts to connect externally with customers and internally with the managers using their work . Plus , instead of reporting a “ parameter estimate ,” an analyst should communicate how results point to tangible strategic actions . This requires analysts to structure their analysis in a decision framework that helps managers assess best and worst-case scenarios .
Span skill boundaries
Some marketing analysts excel at math and coding , and some excel at framing issues , developing explanations , and connecting to business implications . A far smaller set excel at both . Companies either need to wrap these variegated skills into one person through training and accumulating different types of experiences , or , more likely , assemble a team that is sufficiently facile with the techniques that they can interact productively , ensuring that there is some mechanism to match the approach ( and the analyst ) to the problem . This match requires senior talent , with the breadth of perspective to align analytical resources and business problems .