Big Data Needs Clear Communicators

It's always been about getting your point across. Managers who can quantify processes and events, then make decisions based on data analysis, are increasingly valuable to businesses today. Media channels are buzzing with talk about Big Data and how organizations are swimming in information but are clearly struggling with what to do with it and how to use it strategically. While it may not be your job to analyze data, if you are in management - it is your job to effectively communicate it.

Tom Davenport, Harvard Business Review, writes "Never make the mistake of assuming the results will speak for themselves." In his blog post, Data is Worthless if You Don't Communicate It - a simple framework for communication is suggested by George Roumeliotis, Inuit Head of Data Science Group.

1. My understanding of the business problem
2. How I will measure the business impact
3. What data is available
4. The initial solution hypothesis
5. The solution
6. The business impact of the solution

We have so many choices today on how to present information, and in addition to those 6 simple steps, it is important to think about visual impact and how to clearly present your findings. A noteworthy trend, though certainly not a new idea, is the use of Infographics, which take data/statistics and use symbols and other graphic elements to tell a story.

Here is an Infographic to explain what an Infographic is! Next blog post we'll look at some tools businesses use to convey data this way.

What is an infographic? infographic by Hot Butter Studio.

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