Developing Your Analytical Skills: How to Research and Present Information

When making business decisions, do you effectively evaluate information credibility? Do you systematically gather and analyze data, or do you rely on intuition and emerging market trends? Do you understand what critical questions to ask? Can you be certain your decisions are grounded in solid evidence?

Whether you're launching a new offering, sharing market analysis on competitor activities, or making resource allocation decisions, you need robust analytical capabilities to ground your conclusions with credible and valid information. This comprehensive program teaches you how to implement a structured data analysis process that keeps you focused on the most important insights, involves the appropriate team members, and presents your findings in ways that resonate with your intended audience.

Who Should Attend:

Business professionals at any level who want to build core analytical competencies and apply them in their current role to make better-informed and more successful strategic decisions.

How You Will Benefit:

• Pinpoint information that matters most
• Locate, synthesize, and structure data from multiple sources in effective layouts
• Sort and segment information for examination
• Navigate complex decisions that involve descriptive and contextual data
• Examine information from various viewpoints and angles
• Notice trends and understand what they signify for your business
• Assess the information to find the strongest opportunity or most practical solution
• Share your findings and recommendations in compelling ways

Areas of Focus:

Foundational Analytics and Information Assessment

• Understanding core analytical capabilities
• Navigating challenges in collecting, evaluating, and sharing data
• Explaining the basic analytical process: setup, examine, finalize

The Setup Phase

• Clarifying the goal of your analysis
• Strengthening your analytical capabilities through defining important considerations; Who is involved? What alternatives exist, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
• Pinpointing questions that are critical for thorough analysis
• Selecting the best approach for your analytical project
• Building a framework for gathering necessary data

The Examination Phase

• Structuring, gathering, and assessing information using diagrams and charts
• Using similarity analysis to combine scattered information into groupings
• Applying grid analysis and strategic positioning frameworks to evaluate concepts and approaches
• Identifying potential concerns and performing cost comparison analysis
• Assessing information and addressing missing pieces

The Conclusion and Presentation Process

• Recognizing what makes conclusions sound and well-supported
• Transitioning from conclusions to actionable recommendations
• Displaying conclusions through visual presentation

Communicating Your Narrative

• Applying tools, techniques, and best practices to share your findings with varied groups
• Preparing and presenting a concise talk that inspires and persuades your audience

Outline:

Learning Objectives

• Evaluate Techniques to Determine Which Data Is Most Relevant
• Organize Data in Formats Suitable for Analysis
• Examine Data to Identify Top Opportunities for Your Business; Articulate Your Evaluation Method
• Spot Patterns and Interpret What They Suggest for Business Growth
• Determine an Approach for Building Presentations Based on Analytical Findings

Analytical Fundamentals for Modern Business

• Explore Core Analytical Capabilities Used by Effective Professionals
• Address Common Challenges in Gathering, Evaluating, and Sharing Data and Insights
• Outline the Basic Steps in Structured Analysis

The Planning Phase

• Establish the Goals of Your Analysis
• Apply a Method for Generating Key Questions
• Choose an Analytical Method for Your Task
• Discuss How Understanding Your Audience Shapes Your Analytical Planning
• Build a Framework for Systematic Data Gathering

The Examination Phase

• Use a System to Structure Information for Examination
• Combine Scattered Data into Meaningful Groups Based on Shared Features
• Structure Data Through Visual Tools
• Evaluate Possible Risks in Your Analysis
• Use a System to Evaluate Information and Close Data Gaps

The Finalization Phase

• Explain What Makes Conclusions Sound
• Describe How to Move from Conclusions to Action Steps
• Create Actionable Recommendations for Business Use

Communicating Your Narrative

• Explain Tools, Techniques, and Best Practices for Presenting to Different Groups
• Build and Present a Short Talk Displaying Your Findings and Next Steps