Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Panel: Excellence in Communicating Insights

Gold
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Share the love for this talk
Panel: Excellence in Communicating Insights
Speakers: Robin Beers , Nalini Kotamraju and Andy Warr
Link:

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."

Ask the Rosenbot
Robin Beers
How to create actionable insight in the face of politics and silos [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Jose Coronado
People First - Design at JP Morgan
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Bruce Gillespie
Learning from journalism: Balancing impactful communication with compassionate storytelling
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Aiyana Bodi
Three Key Climate Initiatives and How You Can Help
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Pippa Lomas
Paving the Path for Neurodiversity in Design
2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023
Gold
Kristin Skinner
Five Years of DesignOps
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Anil Dash
Designing with power in the age of AI
2026 • Designing with AI 2026
Conference
Wendy Johansson
An Education on Design Education for Orgs
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Juhan Sonin
Design Now! The Agenda for Action
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Lona Moore
Scaling Design Beyond Designers
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Briana Thomas
When Design Ops Comes in H.O.T. : A Tale of a Transformed Design Org
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Mike Oren
Why Pharmaceutical's Research Model Should Replace Design Thinking
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Craig Brookes
"Just Make it Look Good" and Other Ways We're Misunderstood
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Bria Alexander
Welcome
2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Gold
Sarah Auslander
Insights Panel
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Shan Shen
Translating UX Terms into Business Contexts
2023 • Design in Product 2023
Gold

More Videos

Maggie Dieringer

"Getting designers into a cadence of reviewing work with senior stakeholders was not a muscle the team had built."

Maggie Dieringer

Creating Consistency Through Constant Change

January 8, 2024

Sam Proulx

"If you make an app that users only use once a year, don’t expect them to learn dozens of custom shortcuts."

Sam Proulx

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers

June 11, 2021

"We took all the leadership admins to a call center for a week to make them feel what customers go through."

Panel Discussion: Communicating the Value of DesignOps

November 7, 2018

Carol Massa

"If you come in wanting to change everything at once, you won't get the response needed to make your work meaningful."

Carol Massa

Designing Health: Integrating Service Design, Technology, and Strategy to Transform Patient and Clinician Experiences

December 3, 2024

Kit Unger

"We want to feel valued and find satisfaction in our daily work."

Kit Unger

Theme 1 Intro

June 8, 2022

Changying (Z) Zheng

"AI helped me produce nearly 80 posts in a year; without AI, that pace would be impossible."

Changying (Z) Zheng

Practical DesignOps: From Ideas to Tools That Teams Actually Use

September 25, 2025

Peter Morville

"Every few years consultants come in and tidy up our mess, but as soon as they leave, we mess it all up again."

Peter Morville

The Architecture of Understanding

May 13, 2015

Emily Lessard

"Put the submission deadline big, bold, and bright yellow on the first page so it’s easy to find."

Emily Lessard

RFPs Without Tears: Writing Inclusive RFPS that Don't Scare Away Talent

December 9, 2021

Louis Rosenfeld

"Dave Nicholson is a true hero—he captures incredible detail and speed in his notes."

Louis Rosenfeld

Welcome / Housekeeping

June 7, 2023