The "Q&A" approach to summarizing analysis results

Why are we here? \ Because we're here

In my last post I shared a general framework for sharing analysis results: start with the key takeaway, then iteratively share more details that explain how I came to that conclusion or recommendation. I’d like to share another that was first shared with me by Gina Dopp.

Sometimes our analyses are in direct response to one or several questions, and the most effective way to communicate the results is to answer those questions directly. When the stakeholder already has the needed context, we can replace the typical executive summary with a series of questions and answers, so that in a single slide they have all the high-level answers in one place. Here’s an example of how it might look.

The main benefit to this approach is that we can address all the key questions right away. If we’re in a live presentation, I might go through each question and answer and get their initial reaction before deciding which follow-up slides to spend a bit more time on next. This also means that for other audiences, I’ve already built a solid summary/TL;DR of what we found.

And, of course, I’d still include an appendix with methodological and other details.