
11
Communicating Analytic Findings
11.1 Introduct ion
The last major topic in this book and the second of the “soft skills” I will cover
is the c ommunication of analytic findings. History is littered with analysts
who found signals in data, but were unable to convey the importance of these
signals to people who could act on them. If you want your work to have impact
(and you aren’t running the show by yourself), communicating analysis is an
essential skill to master.
Davenport et al. (2010) argue that communicative abilities are part of a
larger set of “relationship and consulting skills” that analysts use to work
with their colleagues and customers.