“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass” - Anton Checkhov.
Now that’s a profound way to open a blog post.
But Checkov’s golden rule of writing, often simplified to the more familiar ‘show don’t tell’, doesn’t quite apply when sharing technical insights with your audience. Granted, Checkov was more concerned with advising the next cohort of Russian dramatists than future waves of digital experts…but the point still stands.
That’s because, when it comes to offering technical insights, the less that’s left to the imagination the better. Simply telling your audience something isn’t enough - for this insight to have the most value, you need to demonstrate how it can be applied to their advantage. Or, in other words, it needs to be actionable.
In fact, being offered expert insight that isn’t actionable feels a lot like learning physics from Stephen Hawking - you trust it’s correct and it sure sounds super interesting, but you have absolutely no idea how S=k4l2PA actually applies to your day-to-day.
So, how can you evaluate and enhance the insights you generate to ensure the tips, advice, and expertise you offer to your audience are always actionable? It all starts with a framework.
A framework to assess whether an insight is actionable
By following a framework, you can systematically evaluate whether your insights are actionable, and whether they’ll drive meaningful actions that help your audience to achieve their goals.
It’s all about asking yourself, ‘what’s the point of all this?’. We can’t be the only ones that think that sounds like a lyric from The Smiths…anyway, where were we?
Whether it’s a company blog post, an internal update, a client report, or even an event workshop or talk, apply this framework to ensure you’re always offering practical value backed by a distinct purpose.
1. Relevance
Ask yourself: Does the insight address a key issue or opportunity relevant to your audience’s goals or objectives?
Consideration: Is the insight aligned with strategic priorities, and can it make a significant impact?
2. Clarity
Ask yourself: Is the insight clear and easily understandable?
Consideration: Avoid ambiguous language. The insight should be straightforward and convey a specific message without confusion.
3. Specificity
Ask yourself: Is the insight specific enough to drive action?
Consideration: Vague insights are difficult to act upon. Include detailed observations and context that pinpoint exactly what needs attention.
4. Feasibility
Ask yourself: Can the recommended actions be realistically implemented?
Consideration: Are the necessary resources, capabilities, and time available for audience members to act on the insight?
5. Impact
Ask yourself: Will acting on this insight drive meaningful outcomes?
Consideration: What are the potential benefits, and what tangible value will taking this action create? High-impact insights should be prioritised.
6. Timeliness
Ask yourself: Is the timing right to act on this insight?
Consideration: Is the insight relevant to the current situation, and can it be acted on in a timely manner?
7. Ownership
Ask yourself: Is there a clear owner or stakeholder who can take responsibility for acting on this insight?
Consideration: Assign ownership to ensure accountability and increase the likelihood of action.
Practical steps to evaluate an insight
To ensure our insights on creating actionable insights are, uh, actionable, here are some practical steps you can take to bring meaningful value to the insights you generate. This is getting more layered than Inception! Talk about meta…
- Identify the insight: Clearly articulate the insight in one or two sentences.
- Assess against the actionability framework: Use the above criteria to evaluate if the insight is actionable, answering each question honestly and objectively.
- Determine action steps: If the insight is deemed actionable, outline specific actions to be taken, responsible parties, and timelines.
- Monitor and review: After implementing the actions, review the outcomes to determine the effectiveness of the insight. Adjust strategies as necessary.
Examples of the framework in action
Seems simple enough, right?
But to get a better idea of what types of insight can be actioned most effectively, and therefore hold the most value for your audience, let’s take a look at some examples of the framework in action.
So, pull on your boots, don your hat and saddle up your horses as we explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of providing actionable insights to your audience.
The ugly
Let’s start at the bottom of the barrel. Here’s a poor insight that holds little value to your audience, and how to spot it by applying the actionability framework.
Insight
"Our customers like when we respond quickly to their inquiries."
Applying the framework
- Relevance: Understanding customer preferences is important for improving your service, but this insight is too general. This means it’s only partially relevant because it lacks specificity and depth.
- Clarity: The insight should be straightforward and convey a specific message without confusion - but while this one is clear, it suffers from being overly simplistic
- Specificity: Vague insights are difficult to act upon because they lack detailed observations and context that pinpoint exactly what needs attention. This example is too vague as it doesn’t specify what "quickly" means, what channels are involved, or how this preference affects customer satisfaction.
- Feasibility: You cannot evaluate whether the necessary resources, capabilities, and time are available to act on this insight as it lacks actionable details.
- Impact: When considering the potential benefits and value this will bring, it’s potentially high-impact - but without specifics, it’s impossible to be certain.
- Timeliness: The insight is too vague to determine whether it is relevant to the current situation and can be acted upon in a timely manner.
- Ownership: The insight is also too vague to assign ownership.
Clint Eastwood taught us that there are two types of people in this world - those with loaded guns and those who dig - and this insight is definitely digging. By simply stating an obvious preference without providing the necessary context or specifics to make the idea replicable, the insight is too general and lacks any actionable details.
The bad
This is an example of a good insight, but one that isn’t easily actionable - think of it like shooting that bounty you were meant to capture alive.
Insight
“Employees prefer working with the latest software and technologies.”
Applying the framework
1. Relevance: The insight is relevant to a goal or objective because it addresses employee satisfaction and retention.
2. Clarity: The insight is clear as it determines a direct preference for the latest software and technologies.
3. Specificity: While the preference is clear, it lacks specific details on which technologies or software are preferred.
4. Feasibility: Implementing the latest software and technologies for all employees may not be feasible due to cost, compatibility, and training requirements.
5. Impact: The benefits are potentially high, but the impact is uncertain without more specific details.
6. Timeliness: Upgrading software and technology is a long-term project that may not align with immediate priorities.
7. Ownership: It is unclear who would take responsibility for such a broad initiative.
So, what does this teach us? While the insight is both relevant and clear, it still falls short in a number of key areas - including feasibility, specificity, and ownership - meaning it’s still not entirely actionable. Implementing the latest software and technologies across the board may be impractical due to high costs, potential disruptions, and the need for significant training - while the insight lacks specifics on which technologies or software are preferred. This all makes it increasingly difficult to understand how to prioritise or take concrete action.
The good
So, what does an actionable insight look like? Here’s how our previous two examples could be refined to be actionable and provide tangible value, bringing law and order to the Wild West of insights you generate each day.
Insight 1
"Our customers like when we respond quickly to their inquiries."
"Our customers have reported a 20% increase in satisfaction when their email inquiries are responded to within 2 hours. Currently, our average response time is 4 hours."
Applying the framework
1. Relevance: Yes, it is relevant to improving customer satisfaction.
2. Clarity: Yes, it clearly states the preference and current performance.
3. Specificity: Yes, it specifies the response time and the impact on satisfaction.
4. Feasibility: Yes, reducing response time is feasible with the right adjustments.
5. Impact: High, as it directly correlates with increased customer satisfaction.
6. Timeliness: Yes, it is timely and can be acted upon immediately.
7. Ownership: Yes, the customer service manager can take responsibility.
Insight 2
“Employees prefer working with the latest software and technologies.”
“A majority of employees in the development team have expressed a preference for using the latest version of the XYZ software, citing improved functionality and efficiency.”
Applying the framework
1. Relevance: Yes, it is relevant to the development team’s productivity.
2. Clarity: Yes, the preference for the latest version of the XYZ software is clearly stated.
3. Specificity: Yes, it specifies which software and why.
4. Feasibility: Yes, upgrading specific software for a specific team is more feasible.
5. Impact: High, as it directly affects the efficiency of the development team.
6. Timeliness: Yes, upgrading to the latest version can be planned and executed within a reasonable timeframe.
7. Ownership: Yes, the IT department and development team leaders can take responsibility.
As evidenced in both examples, refining the original insight in line with the actionability framework helps to provide value by mapping a clear path for implementation. This transforms your insight from a simple observation to a purposeful action that can drive the objectives of your audience.
For instance, in example one, we can identify a number of clear action steps:
- Analyse current response processes to identify bottlenecks
- Implement changes to streamline response workflows, such as automated acknowledgment messages, or reassigning resources to ensure quicker response times
- Monitor response times and customer satisfaction metrics to measure improvement
Likewise, in example two, the revised insight now leads to a clear action plan:
- Evaluate the cost and requirements for upgrading to the latest version of the XYZ software
- Plan and schedule the upgrade, including necessary training for the development team
- Monitor the impact on productivity and gather feedback for further improvements
Now, if we return to Checkhov’s rule of ‘show don’t tell’, we can confidently declare that, when it comes to sharing technical insights with your team, clients and audience, it’s actually quite the opposite! Don’t leave anything to assumption or guesswork, and never leave your audience to fill in the blanks.
Instead, always communicate your insights in line with the actionability framework to turn high-level observations into meaningful actions. Oh, and don’t forget to monitor and review along the way. Reviewing the outcomes of any actions you implement is key to assessing its effectiveness and remaining agile enough to adjust your strategy as necessary en route to your goal.