Or, what market researchers can learn from novelist William Faulkner
Have you ever had a market research project where you had great data, but you just couldn’t seem to get your key findings to really shine? They just seem dull or obvious…or feel like platitudes? Somehow, the “aha” spark just isn’t there.
It happens to all of us, especially when we are on tight deadlines. Sometimes it’s writer’s block, sometimes it’s because there really isn’t much of a story. But often, it’s something else: getting too attached to our initial analysis. It’s easy to assume that the first key findings and recommendations we craft are the best. But without something to compare them to, how do we know? We don’t.
And that’s where Faulkner comes in. Like many famous novelists, he had opinions about what makes great writing, and great writers. My favorite quote from him: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” Harsh, but true. He’s talking about the power of alternatives, and of not getting too attached to your first ideas (or drafts). Even though you love them.
Your First Ideas Are Great, or Are They?
Crafting executive-ready market research key findings is hard. So, once we get those initial few down, it’s tempting to declare success. While those initial key findings statements may be brilliant, we can’t stop. We need to craft variants and alternatives. As mentioned in another recent article on critical thinking, the best market researchers (the real research rockstars) are those who are willing to challenge their own conclusions.
Unfortunately, too often we do fall in love with our initial ideas. And that makes finding better alternatives unlikely.
Need help putting this theory into practice?
If You Want 5 Amazing Key Findings, Start with 15
I’ll even be so bold as to suggest a guideline: if you are working on writing key findings statements for a market research project, you might hope to have 5 really powerful key findings in your report—those aha statements that precisely address the project’s objectives.
But the first 5 you craft are rarely the best. If you want 5 great ones, you need 15—at least. Some should be contrarian; some should be written from a devil’s advocate angle. Can’t get to 15? Try writing a few variations while “channeling” a favorite thought leader (try channeling your inner Steve Jobs, Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Charles Darwin).
Once you have your 15, only then you can really put your critical thinking skills to work to assess them. Which are most defensible based on your data? Most aligned with the project objectives? Do some better reflect the values of accuracy and precision? Your 15 candidates will quickly filter down to your amazing 5.
Indeed, if you have high quality data but your conclusions and recommendations are weak, the culprit could be lack of critical thinking application.
In market research, the best analysis and synthesis comes from playing devil’s advocate (with ourselves or our team) and being rigorous (don’t stop the analysis once you identify a conclusion—make sure to identify several alternatives before assessing them). Want some more practice with applying critical thinking to your key findings? Please enjoy the most recent episode (number 80!) of the video podcast series, Conversations for Research Rockstars (also available on iTunes).
