Panel: Excellence in Communicating Insights
Summary
Insights wither and die when they gather dust on the shelf. Excellence in research is only excellence when data is turned to insight, those insights made actionable and are told in stories which engage, inspire and provoke. Our esteemed panel of research leaders will be sharing their best practices for ensuring that insights are heard, acted upon and given the power to become received wisdom which drive business’ forward.
Key Insights
-
•
Being known by leadership and consistently adding value is key to earning a legitimate seat at the decision-making table, as Andy experienced at Instagram.
-
•
Sitting at the table does not always mean speaking immediately; understanding why you are there and the power dynamics involved, as noted by Nini, is crucial.
-
•
Communication with executives extends beyond meetings via follow-ups and digital channels, leveraging multimodal opportunities to maintain influence.
-
•
Persistent repetition and 'beating the drum' helps reinforce important insights over time, especially when facing organizational resistance.
-
•
Tailoring communication to the specific audience’s needs and avoiding oversharing is a critical skill for researchers to remain effective.
-
•
A well-structured research artifact includes a clear insight (what), rationale (so what), and action plan (now what), holding individuals accountable.
-
•
Creating memorable frameworks or models can help research insights become part of organizational vernacular and influence culture.
-
•
Creative dissemination approaches, like Andy’s fortune cookie insights at Uber, can dramatically increase engagement with research findings.
-
•
Organizational readiness and timing heavily influence when research gains traction; good work may lie dormant until the market or internal priorities align.
-
•
Working simultaneously across short, medium, and long-term horizons ensures ongoing impact and prepares researchers for fluctuating organizational appetites.
Notable Quotes
"When the world is silent, even one voice makes a difference."
"Make sure your leadership team knows your name."
"If I go to a meeting and have nothing to say for the third time, I won’t go again; I’ll give up my seat for someone who can add value."
"You have to understand the power dynamics around the table—seniority, function, gender, skin color, religion—they all matter."
"The table’s not a one-time performance; it’s multimodal with before and after moments you can use."
"Take control when you notice resistance or chatter; acknowledge it and turn it into a constructive conversation."
"A research report is essentially the coffin where insights go to die."
"Synthesis is a researcher’s superpower, not just analysis or breaking things down."
"Persistence is about beating the drum over and over, even if it feels annoying."
"You can do everything right, but timing and organizational readiness are beyond your control."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Despite the worst user interface ever, cloud code is the most popular and successful agent that exists today."
Peter Van DijckHands on AI #3: Claude Code for UX people
October 22, 2025
"Effort doesn’t mean progress, hard work doesn’t guarantee a harvest."
Johnny MichaelsenMeasure Behaviors, Not Results
April 23, 2026
"You have to put yourself in stakeholders’ shoes and understand their domain to have meaningful conversations."
Boon Yew ChewMaking Sense of Systems—and Using Systems to Make Sense of the Enterprise
June 6, 2023
"Miles gave them the music as they entered the studio; they didn’t know what they were going to be playing."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
June 4, 2019
"Working in enterprise can feel like chaos with unclear directions and siloed information."
Nick CochranGrowing in Enterprise Design through Making Connections
June 3, 2019
"Sprint as theater is not going to result in a product concept that really represents human needs, behaviors, and attitudes."
Anne MamaghaniHow Your Organization's Generative Workshops Are Probably Going Wrong and How to Get Them Right
March 28, 2023
"Marketers don’t try very interesting things when their confidence in data is low, which can create a downward spiraling reinforcing loop."
Sarah FlamionComplex Problem? Add Clarity by Combining Research and Systems Thinking
March 31, 2020
"How do they grow and organize their teams to keep up? How do they scale their processes? How do they maximize efficiency and quality?"
Jemma AhmedTheme 2 Intro
January 8, 2024
"The observing eye sees things as they are; the perceiving eye looks beneath the surface to understand significance."
Brendan JarvisIt was the Best of Times. It was the Worst of Times.
September 25, 2024
