You're presenting complex market research analyses. How can you keep stakeholders engaged and focused?

It's often a good idea to turn marketing metrics into clear and easy to remember numbers, like orders and revenue. For example, you need to tell your stakeholders that the conversion rate of your online store is 20% lower than that of your competitors. Change this 20% into orders and money and say that this gap means a loss of about 2,000 orders, which means losing 100,000 euros every month. Wow! 2,000 orders and 100,000 euros are much clearer than a 20% difference in conversion, right?

Involve stakeholders in the presentation by asking questions, encouraging feedback, and addressing their concerns. This interactive approach helps maintain their interest and makes them feel valued.

I make sure the client is involved at every step of the process. I usually do quick email reports or phone calls to bring everyone up to speed. That way the client gets a sense of momentum, even as you take your time to do the insights work correctly. It gives the sense of having a back room. And it lets you tell the stories along the way. What I find is that throughout the research process, the clients will start to pick up on certain stories that they use as talisman or flags for the project. When you see that the client has picked up on a certain story, that’s a cue for you to use that in your reporting. The best way to make sure the client stays engaged is to have them telling the story to each other, all throughout the process

Prepare for potential questions and have answers ready. This demonstrates thorough knowledge and keeps the discussion focused and productive.

Keep your presentation concise and focused on the most important points. Use anecdotes and real-world examples to illustrate abstract concepts. Provide a summary or key takeaways at the end of your presentation to reinforce the main points.

Make best efforts to engage stakeholders to feel self confidence as well. Remember that sometimes even when we are doing research for someone, people sitting in front of you could be NOT interested in your presentation and treat it as another pinpoint from task list for the day. That does not need to be your fault, that people in front of you aren't the right ones to listen.