Selecting the Right Way to Present CI

As detailed in Chapter 13 and in Bottom Line Competitive Intelligence, ^[10] there is a very significant link between the orientation of CI that you are providing and the optimal ways to communicate that to the end users. However, regardless of the manner in which the CI will be communicated, there are trade-offs to be made in the way that you provide it.

Oral Communications. An oral presentation, whether a formal briefing or just a conference call, is quick and permits CI to be communicated to a large number of end users at once. It also allows the analyst communicating the CI to keep it extremely current and, by answering questions, to cover areas not included in the original presentation. Its flexibility allows the CI professional to communicate in ways that a written document cannot. ^[11] However, it has a significant disadvantage because miscommunications can occur more easily with oral communications than with either written or graphic communications. In fact, it is sometimes argued that spoken communications are received differently than are written communications. ^[12]

Another disadvantage of an oral presentation is that usually there is no permanent record that the CI was provided to the end user nor any description of what that CI was. The lack of a record of the providing of the CI may make it difficult or even impossible to evaluate its effectiveness at a later date. The lack of any record may also hinder the end users seeking to use the CI because they may need to refer again to some element of the presentation. Retransmission of what was communicated in the first instance carries with it the high likelihood that important elements will be omitted and that errors will creep in. In addition, the presenter does not have an exact record of what was said. Finally, this lack of permanence makes it difficult for either the presenter or the end users to build on that CI in the future.

• Preparing a PowerPoint presentation takes time, sometime more time than writing out a formal document.

• Communicating complex relationships and large amounts of detailed data, particularly financial data, is not always easily accomplished in this context.

• While end users do have a document to take with them, it is, in essence, only an outline. Either the presenter must put all key conclusions on the overheads, or the end users must rely on the notes that they take to complete the delivery of the CI.

• PowerPoint presentations are subject to their own rules for enhancing effectiveness. ^[13] Unfortunately, most people giving presentations do not follow these rules.

Written Communications. Written communications take longer than oral ones, if for no other reason than it takes longer to write something down than to say it. However, once it is in written form, the CI will not change its content when it is transmitted from one end user to another, unlike oral communications. Also, written communications can be reproduced or, in the case of e-mails, even be sent to many end users at once. However, keep in mind that the wider the distribution of written CI, the more likely it is that this CI will be available to persons, or even organizations, for whom it was never intended.

Written communications also can be extremely precise or easily read, depending on the analyst's choice. Written communications also have the advantage that they can be reviewed before communication happens, stored and retrieved, or even updated. They also create a permanent audit trail for those who want to evaluate the real impact of CI on a firm.

Graphic Communications. The use of graphics in communicating CI can sometimes be quite effective. In fact, using graphic aids such as charts or illustrations in a written report or as a part of an oral presentation can enhance the overall message.

• You can emphasize particularly critical points or concepts by presenting material in two different ways.

• You can make it easier to understand complex numeric comparisons.

• You can give individuals at a presentation something to take with them, such as a copy of the charts and graphics, without having to distribute the full text of the presentation.