Engage – Don’t just Present!

How often have you wanted to present information – results of research, a report, or data recipients need to understand or take action on? And how often have you defaulted to the “tried and true” presentation – maybe with a colorful PowerPoint thrown in? It’s satisfying to share all that information; after all you’re the expert on it and the audience needs to hear and understand it.  But did they really engage enough to absorb, process, and take action on the information you presented?

I’ve found that even with the most interesting, passionate, and informative presentation it’s still just one way communication and the recipients don’t have the greatest understanding or retention. Often, they go away impressed, but not having absorbed the information much less moved to action.  To engage the audience, I’ve found the best solution is something called the data (or gallery) walk.

Just what does a data walk look like?

The information from the report is parsed into a number of data stations (ideally 5 – 7) which include graphic representations of the results to be shared.  Think of each station as an infographic sharing a component of the total data set.  The stations would also have 2 or 3 prompts, i.e. questions for the participants to consider.  Participants are broken up into as many groups as there are data stations.  The stations are located around the room and each group spends a few minutes at each station depending on the detail of the stations).  They reflect on the information and respond to the prompts with notes put on post-in notes and adhered next to the station.

While there would be a short briefing with an overview of the work and instructions for the data walk, these stations would substitute for the traditional PowerPoint presentation.  Typically, there would also be follow up table discussions and debriefs after everyone has rotated through all stations.

While the logistics are straightforward, to run a successful data walk there are certain best practices to adhere to.

• Selecting which data to present may be the most important decision you make. Much like developing infographics, it begins with asking yourself what story you want to tell. That is, what points from the research/information do you want to bring to light?
• Deciding on the best prompts to draw attention to the crucial points is also critical. The prompts should be open-ended to allow participants to draw their own conclusions.
• Each station should have a facilitator who is knowledgeable about the data. They should not present the data, simply be available to answer questions on the graphs to make sure participants don’t waste time trying to understand format, etc.
• When participants complete the circuit of all data stations, there should be time for table discussions when they sit down. These will be different groups than were at the stations, so it’s valuable to have different prompts to begin table discussions to further explore themes and trends in the data.
• Ideally there is an opportunity to move the participants to action before they leave. This could be a commitment to the next steps, signing up for workgroups or committees, or whatever is appropriate for the information shared.
• Timely follow up is important. There should be a summary of the data walk, observations as recorded on the post-it notes and themes shared during the report out. And the summary should be distributed in a timely manner to maintain momentum.  The follow up may offer additional opportunities for participants to take action or engage.

Data walks are a powerful way to engage and move groups to action when done properly. Participants report time passes quickly when they’re moving around and chatting about data rather than reading a report or having highlights presented to them. And that positive experience translates to better absorption of the information and greater likelihood of following up and taking action.