Catching the Data Bug: A Q&A with Colleen Dilenschneider

I’m not sure how I first came across Colleen Dilenschneider —whether it was hearing her speak at a conference or reading one of her articles on the Know Your Own Bone blog, where she shares critical market research from IMPACTS Experience for the arts and culture field and advocates for the importance of research in our sector. Through her highly influential website, newsletters, videos, talks, and consultancy, she has helped champion the role, usage, and relevance of data for the museum field and its workforce.

To learn more about how she came to fill this role, I decided to reach out to Colleen. Over the course of our conversation, we spoke about her museum origin story, public speaking, and her love for data, among other topics.

Adam Rozan (AR): First, can you introduce yourself, on the off-chance that anyone doesn’t know who you are?

Colleen Dilenschneider (CD): My name is Colleen Dilenschneider. I am a great big millennial data nerd. I am the cofounder of IMPACTS Experience, a market research and predictive technology company that provides insight for cultural organizations. I also have a website called Know Your Own Bone, which is the source of my career and how everything got started for me. Today, that website aims to make high-confidence research from IMPACTS Experience accessible to leaders of cultural organizations as the company’s blog.

I got started with museums in college, when I volunteered at the Art Institute of Chicago. My first full-time museum job was at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, where I was the Special Events Coordinator. It was one of those jobs at the bottom of the totem pole where every day was an adventure! I was calling alpaca farmers for events and creating bubble festivals. It was a blast. Did you have one of these jobs, Adam?

AR: Boston’s Museum of Science, where I would greet schoolchildren, teachers, and chaperones when the buses pulled up.

Okay, so when did your blog Know Your Own Bone come about and why?

CD: I started Know Your Own Bone because I was leaving my job at Pacific Science Center to go to grad school, and I was anxious about leaving the museum industry. Initially, I started aggregating what museums were doing on social media, focusing on digital engagement. The blog evolved when I was picked up off of the speaking circuit by a data company and I received permission to publish select, non-proprietary market research on the museum industry.

AR: Can we talk about you as a public speaker? How have you become the speaker that you are? Did you have a background in high school or college theater?

CD: I was in high school theater, but my father is a great public speaker and that’s an important part of my extended family’s culture and energy. I grew up in a very big family, and I got to see my dad and energetic aunts and uncles give elaborate toasts every Christmas as a Secret Santa tradition. This was highly influential to me.

AR: Were you nervous when you first started speaking at conferences?

CD: I sure was! When I was first starting out, I viewed speaking engagements as opportunities to share research and perspectives. Now, I see my talks as conversations with the audience; I’m learning as much from them as they are from me. I often get ideas for Know Your Own Bone articles and additional research segmentations from the questions I am asked that I don’t know the answers to.

AR: How do you respond to a question when you don’t know the answer?

CD: I say I don’t know. But if we are collecting research on it, I will do my best to find out!

AR: Did you ever have imposter syndrome?

CD: Absolutely! When I first started speaking, I wasn’t talking about data yet. Data has made me more confident because I’m sharing information from the largest in-market survey of perceptions surrounding cultural organizations in the US; it’s not just my personal experience.

AR: Here’s my softball question then: Why does data matter?

CD: Data matters because it helps institutions understand what’s important and what matters to their audiences. Data can help us efficiently and effectively educate and inspire audiences and achieve relevance. Without data, we’re just talking to ourselves about what should be important rather than understanding what is important to audiences.

AR: And relevance?

CD: Exactly. At the end of the day, relevance is about connection.

AR: Let’s talk about market research and data collection—most organizations collect some data. The problem is often using the data.

CD: Yes, I would say so. When organizations come to us for data, the hardest part for them is not often accepting data outcomes. Data outcomes can be challenging! There’s often confirmation bias and personal incentive to ignore inconvenient outcomes that suggest we could do something better that we’ve been doing it. The opportunity is to create a culture of being data-informed and challenging our own cognitive biases.

AR: Your education also includes a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. Why did you pursue additional certifications?

CD: Challenging myself is essential for delivering data effectively and finding new approaches, so ongoing learning has been important to me. I believe that every single person has their own superpowers, and I like to think that curiosity and enthusiasm are mine! Curiosity and enthusiasm are fundamental to who I am and how I approach my life and work.

AR: You were just named the Chairwoman of the Board for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. What advice do you have for museums when considering millennials and Gen Z individuals for board or committee appointments?

CD: I think it’s important for boards to aim to be representative of the audiences who they are trying to serve. Representative perspectives help institutions stay relevant and connected to their communities. And the millennial generation is very large! I think it’s important for people of our generation to serve on boards because we can bring fresh energy and a digitally connected perspective.

AR: Final thoughts?

CD: I’m passionate about making data accessible to cultural?organizations so that they may continue to carry out their missions to inspire and educate. Museums mean so much to me, and to so many people, and I’m honored and grateful to have the opportunity to help them succeed and flourish.

Learn more about these topics in Adam’s Q&A with James Heaton and the Museum Glossary Project Team, and be sure to explore the definitions for Audience Research, Target Audience, Metrics, and more at museumglossary.com ?

Note: Originally published Friday, August 2, 2024, on the American Alliance of Museums blog - https://www.aam-us.org/2024/08/02/catching-the-data-bug-a-qa-with-colleen-dilenschneider/