You are sitting in yet another presentation, looking at slide after side of bar graphs, pie charts, and tables. You’re struggling to focus and don’t know where this is going. Surely the presenter should have analysed the data and presented insights and recommendations. You are trying to analyse the data very quickly to make sense of it all but it isn’t easy. You give up and ask for the slides to be emailed to you.

Does this sound familiar?

So why are colleagues who’ve been in this role for years, still unable to do the analysis and simply present their insights? 

1. There are three possible reasons: They have always done it like that and never thought about doing it differently or better.
2. They think that you do really want to see the data, either because you don’t trust them or because they think you just love data! 
3. There are cultural issues that result in people not wanting to take risks or responsibility for giving recommendations: 
   • They may be too scared to do so because of the weighty implications of the recommendations or consider it to be above their ‘pay grade’. When training Analytical Skills programmes, I have had several situations where participants have said that they don’t want to be responsible for a change in direction in case the conclusion is ‘wrong’. 
   • Some organisations assign credibility and respect to those who have the ‘data’ and presenters may be trying to appear credible or even impressive.  
   • They think that you don’t understand the risks and are worried about you making uninformed decisions that have not been thought through properly. This one may seem unlikely, but I am surprised by how often it comes up particularly when the perception is that you have been promoted up the ranks quickly or are new in the organisation. 
4. They don’t know how to because they don’t have the analytical skills to summarise data points, form conclusions, and turn them into relevant and effective recommendations or insights. So instead, they present the data and rely on you to analyse it while they speak.  In addition, they may not know how to structure a logical and engaging presentation so that key insights are highlighted and delivered in a clear and structured format. 

If cultural issues are the problem or part of the problem, clearer communication and expectation-setting are needed. You may also need to check yourself: What messages are you articulating about your need for data?  

It is likely that presenters have the skills to gather data but do not have the ability to effectively form conclusions and present them in a clear and structured way with a storyline that you can follow and understand. 

Openside Group work with highly technical professionals, delivering programmes that allow participants to refine, practise and receive feedback to train these skills using the most effective tools and methodologies to achieve the best results and ensure no one ‘checks out’ of presentations early.