Defending the data is advocacy work
As a researcher I find gathering data and generating actionable findings is generally the fun bit. I get to learn something new from observing or interviewing and then put that in to context either to solve a problem (yay!) or kick off a new stream of work (double yay!). Putting together a great presentation or dashboard are also fun activities, as well as a chance to make sure I’m presenting my research in the most convincing way possible.
However, no matter how solid your findings or how beautiful your visual artefacts may be, selling the findings of your research can be hard. Maybe the data is overwhelmingly negative. Maybe you are working in a change-resistant culture. Maybe people agree with you but don’t have a way to act on your findings. Maybe something you were unaware of and hadn’t considered is going on.
In hindsight, I realise that advocating for the findings of a research project (something I do now) is not all that different from advocating for women’s rights (something I used to do). Over the years, I have learned a few things about selling research findings and, when needed, defending the data to make the case to move forward. My main takeaways are:
Make sure your stakeholders understand the methodology at the beginning of the project. Be honest about any limitations but also stand by your results. Unless your methodology is deeply flawed (which it shouldn’t be) your findings matter. Often stakeholders will argue that more testing, more data or just ‘more’ (meaning an indefinite delay) is needed. Maybe they will question the value of the whole project, or suggest that you cannot be sure of the evidence you are presenting. Getting buy-in to for the methodology early on, through a workshop or kick-off meeting, can really help with this push back at a later date.
Own the whole process if you can. Influence it if you can’t. I once coded and presented the findings of an employee survey in a divisive environment. Unfortunately I didn’t design the survey and some of the wording chosen had led people to read into the findings in inaccurate and unhelpful ways. This was salvageable. I simply delved in to the survey responses, pulled out quotes from both sides of the argument and showed how it reflected back to us what we already knew — the environment was divisive and becoming toxic. Once this step was out of the way, a majority were willing to explore a way out, but it cost us time. I wasn’t involved early enough to vet something I would eventually be analysing. In hindsight I should have engaged to make sure I could influence the whole process.
Be careful about the words you use when seeking feedback. When you present insights for feedback and next steps it is important to step out of the naive mode of asking questions and be clear. If you communicate in a way that comes across as uncertain it can cause your audience to question your findings. Be clear and direct about what you know on the basis of research. Be clear about what you don’t know yet, but don’t undermine your core message.
Outline the costs and benefits of the change you are proposing. This can be difficult if you are advocating for something inherently hard to quantify, like organisational culture change, but it is worth laying out the pros and cons as clearly as possible. I actually learned this as a bureaucratic skill back when I worked in public policy. Putting both sides on the table and explaining why one choice is superior is basic, but it often works. If you are expecting a lot of push back plan for that and have a plan B.
Don’t be defensive. Your research can feel personal but you are defending the work, not yourself. Even if your stakeholders question the value of your role on the team, be cool and refer back to the findings and why they matter. Academics learn this at conferences, you can practice with a friendly devil’s advocate if criticism can feel personal to you. Designers are also great for this since critique is built into design processes.
Accept that you won’t always win over everyone. You can convince most people of the value of your findings most the time, but even with good preparatory work you will not always convince everyone in the room. You are an advocate so you need to know what your audience wants to know and how best to align with and influence them. If it doesn’t work, then there may be a lesson there for your research, or for your presentations. Or it might be worth considering the institutional incentives at play in your organisation, or fixed aspects of the business. You can use these lessons next time around.
Know your audience. You are the expert on the data. That matters, but it isn’t the whole story. You also have to tailor your work for your audience. For some stakeholders narrative is everything and your story will win the day if it’s compelling and comes with audio clips or verbatims that pack a punch. For others fine detail will be more important. Some will test your knowledge as a researcher and, once satisfied, trust whatever you have to say in future. Nail this down and you can lay the path for a good working relationship.
As an advocate for unpopular topics I used these strategies with diplomats, now I use them when presenting research. Of course there is no substitute for doing the right research and doing it well, but presenting your findings to fit your audience never hurts and is a must if your work is strategic.
If it still goes wrong, consider getting to know the context and barriers to change better. Taking just one person for a coffee (ok zoom coffee) each week can make a difference to your perspective until it’s time to try again with a different approach or new allies.
