When research teams, marketers, or consultants present findings, they often make one of two mistakes:
- They overload stakeholders with information.
- Or they package real insight in a way that doesn’t inspire change.
The result? Smart work that gets applause, but no follow through.
In this post, we’re breaking down 5 practical ways to present insights so your work drives decisions, not just documentation.
1. Insight ≠ Information
Just because something is true doesn’t make it useful. Executives aren’t sitting through presentations for trivia, they want traction. The most compelling insights help leaders make better, faster, more confident decisions.
Ask yourself: “What will this help them do differently tomorrow?” If the answer is unclear, the insight isn’t ready yet.
2. Start With the Business Problem
Skip the methodology. Lead with the why.
What’s broken? Who’s affected? How much is it costing the business?
Example: “25% of customers drop off during onboarding, that’s $2M in potential churn.” This anchors your insights in impact.
3. Tie Every Insight to a Decision
A powerful insight should unlock a next step. Without that, it’s just noise.
Let’s say your research shows users are overwhelmed.
Weak takeaway: “We should explore this further.”
Strong takeaway: “We should test reducing plan options from 5 to 3 in Q3.”
Change comes from clarity.
4. Make the Insight Feel Real, Not Just True
If your slides are only charts and bullet points, you’re losing emotional weight.
Add real user quotes. Show before/after flows. Capture the friction.
What works:
- A quote that stings: “I just gave up after screen 3.”
- A visual of where users get stuck
- A demo of a confusing UI
The more tangible the insight, the harder it is to ignore.
5. Speak Human, Not “Research”
Stakeholders don’t speak “qualitative synthesis.” They speak results.
Replace: “Pattern salience was observed in 62% of transcripts…”
With: “Most customers said the same thing — and it’s costing us sales.”
Speak in outcomes. Use plain language. Respect their time and headspace.
Bringing It All Together
To recap, impactful insights are:
Rooted in a business problem
Framed to drive a decision
Delivered in plain language
Felt, not just understood
Easy to act on
Because good research doesn’t just sit in a Notion doc. It moves teams.
Want to turn interviews and transcripts into insights that actually drive change?
Try Insight7 – The fastest way to go from messy qualitative data to executive ready insights.
No analysts. No dashboards. Just outcomes.
