I like to run and the roads around my neighborhood don’t have sidewalks.
It’s fine, there’s a big shoulder and plenty of space, but I’ve observed an interesting behavior in the cars that pass me.
If there are two cars passing me, the second car does whatever the first car does. If the first car pulls out to pass, the one behind does too. If the first car doesn’t, the second car doesn’t either. This behavior is remarkably consistent.
We often underestimate the extent to which we unconsciously follow the lead of other people. It’s one of the most powerful drivers of our decisions and opinions, but we rarely consciously think “I’m going to go out and copy someone today!”
I bet you read product reviews before you buy things on Amazon. I ordered a book the other day (on a recommendation) and didn’t read the reviews before I did. After I clicked buy, I had a heart in mouth moment. What if my friend was wrong, and it’s awful?
We crowd-source answers to questions. Best local restaurant? Ask Facebook. Career advice? Ask LinkedIn. Question about how to crochet a dinosaur for your boyfriend? That’s Reddit (No really, the question is here).
When we look at our behavior, it’s clear. When we’re not sure what do think, we really trust the opinions of others.
How is this related to data science and communication?
Projects - and complex data projects are particularly at risk - get shot down for two reasons. First, they’re a bad idea. Second, people don’t understand why they’re a good idea. Only a few people in the meeting will speak up, and the opinion of others will follow the opinion of those who speak up.
If there are a few people in the room, they’re going to trust whoever speaks up. If that person doesn’t have a strong positive opinion, it’s easy for approval or acceptance to slide out of reach.
Data analysis and data projects can be complicated, and if people don’t understand why they’re important, they look to other people in the room for cues as to whether it’s a good or a bad idea.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Once you understand this dynamic, you can take steps to address it proactively.
First, figure out who is going to be in the room.
Second, highlight the key decision makers and the key influencers. The decision makers are the ones who are going to give you approval or take the steps you recommend. The people who’s buy in you need. The influencers are the ones who are going to speak up during the meeting and share their opinion, ask questions, etc. These groups may be the same or they may not. Most likely there will be some overlap, but they won’t be identical.
Third, before the meeting take your presentation proactively to a few of the key influencers and get their opinions. Informally walk them through the analysis or the project and answer their questions.
This gives you two big advantages:
1. You’ll get their opinion up front, and you can make adjustments to the presentation or project to incorporate their feedback.
2. You’ll give yourself an ally in the room who can speak positively in favor of your analysis or project.
The person you talk to becomes the lead car on the road. They provide a positive opinion everyone else can safely follow.
This Week’s Exercise
Find a presentation you gave about a project or a piece of analysis. Think about who was in the room.
Identify the decision makers and the influencers. Were they the people you expected?
If you had known their questions in advance, what would you have done differently?
Next time you have to make a presentation to that group or a similar group, who would you reach out to? What questions would you ask them before the meeting?