Most insight teams are working harder than anyone realises.
Hours in analysis. Hours building the slide.
Then the room goes quiet.
Stakeholders skim. Nod. Move on.
You get a thanks and a vague we'll share this with the team.
You walk out wondering if any of it landed.
I've been in that room. More than once.
Doing the hard work and still not getting treated as high-value.
It's not because the insight is weak.
It's because it's being delivered as information, when what execs want is leverage.
A strategic researcher doesn't just uncover insight. They package it like a product.
Look at the voices that actually cut through a room:
- McKinsey decks
- Internal memos from ops leaders
- Product discovery meetings
It's not the format. It's the framing.
I've had coffees with over 20 insight leaders. The sharp ones all do the same three things:
- Compress the signal to its sharpest point
- Speak in cross-functional impact, not research terminology
- Deliver outputs that can be copied, shared, and acted on instantly
This isn't about making research snackable for its own sake.
It's about becoming impossible to ignore.
Executives don't remember detail. They remember a line like this:
We're gaining fans but losing future revenue. The highest-value segment is churning.
Design like a strategist, not a scientist.
Short bullets over long paragraphs. One insight, one sentence, one sharp stat. Clarity is everything.
Hook it to their function. Open with what it means for them.
- For Product: Onboarding drop-offs now equal £2.5m in missed growth.
- For Strategy: This segment is shifting channels faster than our model predicts.
The faster they see themselves in your work, the faster they act on it.
If your team needs a place to start, use this:
THE INSIGHT SNAP
- What we saw — one line of signal
- Why it matters — risk, revenue, or customer impact
- What's next — one crisp decision or action
Drop it in an email. A Slack message. Slide one of the deck.
No one will miss it. Everyone will use it.
You can't afford for good work to get buried.
Strategic researchers don't wait to be heard. They make their insight felt.
~ JP
Related from ResearchGeek
Share this issue
