Welcome to transforming data into action! You've probably looked at charts, numbers, and reports countless times. But there's a crucial difference between seeing data and understanding what it means.
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This difference separates good analysts from great ones. In one word, did you mostly 'see' or 'understand' your last report?
Let's start with a key distinction: observations versus insights.
An observation is simply what you see in the data - like "Sales dropped 15% last month." It's factual but doesn't explain why or what to do about it.
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Can you think of an observation you've made recently from data?
An insight goes deeper. It explains the "why" and suggests action. For example: "Sales dropped 15% because our main competitor launched a promotion, and we should respond with targeted offers to retain customers."
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Can you rewrite your earlier observation as a one-sentence insight?
Here's the test: does your finding answer "So what?"
If someone can respond with "So what?" to your statement, you've shared an observation. If they nod and say "What should we do?" you've delivered an insight.
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Think of the last data finding you shared - would it pass the "So what?" test?
Insights must connect to business impact. Ask yourself: "How does this finding affect our goals, revenue, costs, or customer experience?"
Without this connection, even the most sophisticated analysis remains just interesting trivia.
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What business impact questions do you ask in your work?
