How Would A Child Approach Research and Storytelling?

"Why is this?" "Why does it happen?" A child might start by asking simple, open-ended questions. When it comes to research, a child’s approach is often more about curiosity and exploration than structured processes. They ask simple questions, gather information from multiple sources, and observe the world around them to piece together answers. Their storytelling, much like their research, is often driven by imagination, creativity, and a desire to share what they’ve discovered in a way that’s engaging and accessible.

In this post, I’ll draw a comparison between a child’s research approach and how we, as professionals especially analysts can approach both our research and storytelling. Whether we’re analyzing data, preparing a report, or creating a presentation, there’s a lot we can learn from how children naturally connect the dots and make their findings fun and engaging.

Let's dive right into the comparison and see how you can begin to Cartoonify your research.

1. Define the Objective Start by asking: What question am I trying to answer? For example: How does sleep deprivation impact driving safety?

• Identify key factors: causes (e.g., lack of sleep), symptoms (e.g., slower reaction time), and outcomes (e.g., increased accident risk).
• Determine the type of data needed (quantitative, qualitative, or both).
• Establish your report's scope—what’s in and out of focus. For example, if you're analyzing how sleep deprivation affects driving safety, in focus might include accident rates, reaction times, and studies on drowsy driving. Out of focus could be unrelated factors like general sleep disorders or workplace productivity effects. Defining this early ensures your report stays clear, relevant, and aligned with the objective.

????Ask Questions (Child’s Perspective) A child might start with very basic and curious questions like, “How does being tired make driving not safe?” or “Why can’t people drive well when they’re sleepy?”

• They might think about things they’ve experienced themselves, like feeling sleepy in class or at play, and wonder if it’s the same for adults in cars.
• They may ask, “Does being tired make you slower at doing things?” or “Does it make you forget things or get confused?”
• The child might also ask, “Can people crash if they’re too tired?” because they’ve heard about accidents happening when people are distracted or don’t pay attention.

2. Identify Reliable Data Sources

For accuracy, use a mix of:

• Primary sources: Surveys, interviews, firsthand observations.
• Secondary sources: Research papers, government reports, industry publications.
• Public datasets: CDC, WHO, NHTSA for accident-related data.

????Identify Reliable Data Sources (Child’s Perspective) While a child wouldn’t think about primary or secondary sources in technical terms, they would still have a sense of where to look for reliable answers:

Identify Reliable Data Sources (Child’s Perspective) While a child wouldn't think in terms of "primary" or "secondary" sources, they'd still seek information from trusted places:

• Ask trusted adults: A child might ask, “What happens if you’re too sleepy to drive?” or “Can you crash if you don’t sleep enough?”
• Use familiar resources: They might look for simple answers in things they trust, like books, cartoons, or shows that explain how being tired can be dangerous.
• Ask friends or family: A child could ask someone, “Have you ever felt too tired to drive?” or “Why do people say you shouldn’t drive if you’re sleepy?”

3. Gather & Analyze Data

• Look for trends, correlations, and key takeaways.
• Ensure data quality—verify accuracy, remove duplicates, check for biases.
• For qualitative data (like interview responses), categorize themes and patterns.

????Gather & Analyze Data (Child's Perspective) When a child gathers data, it’s more about finding things that capture their interest and make sense to them. They might:

• Collect interesting facts or stories: A child might find books, websites, or even stories from family and friends that talk about what happens when people are tired and how it affects driving. They might remember or take note of fun or surprising facts, like “Did you know that being sleepy is as bad as being drunk for driving?”
• Look for patterns: They might notice things like, “When I’m tired, I can’t think straight or concentrate—maybe that happens when people drive too.”
• Observe what's most important: A child will likely focus on details that seem most obvious to them, like accidents happening because someone is too tired or how people talk about being too sleepy to drive.

4. Structure Your Report

A good format might include: Introduction – Define the problem and purpose. Methodology – Explain how the data was gathered. Findings – Present key trends and insights. Analysis – Interpret what the data means. Recommendations – Suggest actions based on findings.

????Structure Your Report (Child’s Perspective) A child’s “report” would be more like a simple story or explanation, broken down into clear sections that are easy for them to follow:

• Introduction – What’s the Problem? What’s wrong when people drive while tired?” They’d start by saying what they’re trying to figure out, like “I want to learn about why it’s dangerous to drive when you’re sleepy.”
• How I Found My Information – What Did I Look For? “I talked to my mom and dad, read a book, and watched a video about sleepy driving.” This part would just explain how they got their answers in simple terms—talking to people, reading, and watching things.
• What I Found – What Did I Learn? “I learned that when people are sleepy, they can’t think well and might crash their car.” Here, they would just list the main things they discovered, such as facts or things they remember from stories.
• What It Means – Why Is This Important? “If people are too tired, it’s like driving when you’re not paying attention. They can make mistakes.” This would be their interpretation, focusing on why it’s important to pay attention to being well-rested when driving.
• What Should Happen – What Can We Do? “Maybe people should rest more before driving, or find someone else to drive if they’re too tired.” A child would end their “report” by offering simple suggestions, like advice on how to stay safe if you're tired.

5. Visualizing the Data

Choose visuals that enhance understanding:

• Line charts: Show trends over time.
• Bar charts: Compare categories.
• Pie charts: Display proportions.
• Infographics: Summarize findings for quick comprehension.

For reports: Use Microsoft Word to format structured sections. For presentations: Use PowerPoint with slides that emphasize key data points.

A well-structured report doesn’t have to live in just one format. You can integrate Word and PowerPoint to balance detailed analysis with clear, visual storytelling:

• Use PowerPoint for key takeaways, data visualizations, and high-level insights.
• Embed a Word document in PowerPoint for structured sections, in-depth analysis, and supporting research.
• This allows the audience to absorb key points quickly while having access to the full report when needed.

????Visualizing the Data (Child’s Perspective) A child would likely choose visuals that are colorful, simple, and help them easily share what they learned. They might use:

• Pictures or Drawings: Instead of formal charts, a child might draw pictures to explain what they learned. For example, they could draw a sleepy driver and show how that might cause an accident or draw a happy, well-rested driver to show the opposite.
• Simple Bar Charts: A child might use blocks or colored bars to compare things like how much sleep a person had and how safely they drove. “If I sleep 8 hours, I drive good, but if I sleep 4 hours, I drive bad!”
• Pie Charts or Circles: They might use circles divided into sections, like how much of the day is spent sleeping vs. driving. “This is how much sleep you need, and this is how much sleep you get before driving.”
• Happy and Sad Faces or Emojis: A child might use emojis to show how tired or happy someone feels after sleep, which could help explain how it affects driving safety. “This is a tired driver ??, and this is a safe driver ??!”
• Colorful Infographics: They might create a fun “map” or “timeline” showing when someone is likely to get sleepy and how it affects their driving, maybe using pictures or symbols to tell the story.

The idea for this post came to me while preparing my own presentations. I found myself going to several sources for inspiration and ideas on how to present the information. I had to carefully pick and choose what worked, focusing on color, simplicity, and how to effectively convey the message. My goal was to make it as simple as possible to help the reader understand the key points.

It got me thinking about the mindset of a child versus that of an adult. As children, we are naturally full of creativity and curiosity. As adults, if we allow ourselves to be playful and open, we might discover the simplest ways to communicate even the most complex ideas.

I hope this post was informative, and that you can take something from both perspectives. Within us lies a child full of creativity, and sometimes all it takes is embracing that mindset to make powerful ideas easier to understand.

#CuriosityDriven #ClearCommunication #UnlockCreativity