If you've ever conducted research within your organization, you know that one of the most difficult parts can be socializing your findings. Often, there are many stakeholders with different agendas, and getting everyone on the same page can be a challenge.
You can't make your colleagues think the same thoughts as you if you can't first help them understand what's on your mind. By doing things like clearly articulating the problem you're solving and identifying the decision-makers early on, you can increase the chances of getting buy-in from your team.
Why socialize your research findings?
As a researcher, you likely spend a great deal of time and effort conducting your research and analyzing your findings. But what happens once you've finished your research and are ready to present it to your organization? How can you ensure that your research findings are used effectively within your organization?
One way to ensure that your research findings are used effectively is to socialize them within your organization. By socializing your research findings, you can help create a shared understanding of the findings and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Additionally, it can help build buy-in from key stakeholders within your organization.
One can socialize their research findings within the organization following the below tips:
- Present your findings in an engaging way: This could mean using visuals such as charts or graphs, telling a story, or using other creative methods.
- Get feedback from others: After you've presented your findings, solicit feedback from others in order to get their perspectives on the findings. This feedback can help you improve future presentations and ensure that everyone in the organization understands
Who should you socialize your research findings with?
When you're ready to socialize your research findings within your organization, you'll need to decide who to share them with. You should share your research findings with all the relevant stakeholders and decision makers. If you want to share insights with stakeholders, create a Slack channel or message board and share nuggets of insights during sessions. Consider posting short video clips to give stakeholders quick and digestible pieces of research.
If you've conducted market research, you may want to share your findings with your sales team so they can better understand your target market.
If you've conducted employee satisfaction research, you may want to share your findings with your management team so they can take action to improve morale.
If you've conducted customer satisfaction research, you may want to share your findings with your customer service team so they can address any issues that were raised.
Whatever type of research you've conducted, be sure to consider who will be most interested in or affected by your findings before sharing them.
How to socialize your research findings
There are several ways to socialize your research findings. Depending on how the organization functions and the internal dynamics, you can start with smaller circle and go wider. The key is always in answering what is in it for them, being succinct and add value.
- Make sure your research findings are accessible. Put them in a place where they can be easily found and accessed by your colleagues.
- Write a summary of your findings. Include key insights and recommendations in the summary so that people can quickly get an idea of what your research found.
- Find ways to make your presentation interactive and engaging so that people will be more likely to pay attention and remember what you presented.
- Take a follow up and check in with people after they've had a chance to digest your presentation to see if they have any questions or feedback.
What are the benefits of socializing your research findings?
One of the benefits of socializing your research findings is that it allows you to share your findings with a wider audience. This can help to promote your research and increase its impact. Also, organizations that learn from research can build more robust solutions, create more emphatic communication and robust go-to market strategy as well as make more informed decisions. This can lead to increased collaboration and a greater exchange of ideas.
Conclusion
Because organizations are intricate social systems, research findings frequently have trouble getting from the researcher to the people who need to hear them. Many researchers hope that their research will have some impact on policy. There are many ways to increase consumption of research, and it is important to select the ones that will help you reach the audience you most want to impact.