As part of our Insight Communication Experts (ICE) series, I spoke with Duncan Rumney and Frank Kaminski from the Customer & Network Support team at Toyota GB about which communication behaviours endure and what more need to be done to embed data-enabled decision making.
What shifted quickly after the training?
One of the most noticeable changes came surprisingly quickly: people started talking about storytelling.
Conversations about analysis began to include questions like:
- What’s the “so what” of this data?
- Why does this information matter to the business?
These discussions were rarely heard before the training. Instead of simply sending data outputs, the team began thinking more intentionally about structure and purpose.
Another early shift appeared in the briefing stage. Rather than reacting immediately to vague requests, the team introduced a simple briefing form to clarify what stakeholders were really looking for. This helped create more constructive conversations about expectations and feasibility before analysis began.
“People started using the ‘what, so what, now what’ structure in conversations – which I’d never heard before.”
What habits have really stuck?
Two practices have begun to take hold within the team.
The first is spending more time discussing the purpose of a piece of work before starting it. Instead of responding instantly to requests, analysts are more likely to pause and ask:
- What decision is this supporting?
- Which business priorities does this relate to?
- What value will the analysis create?
These conversations are helping shift thinking from producing outputs to supporting decisions.
The second habit relates to how reports are structured and consumed. New reports are now designed so that stakeholders see the most important insights first, with the option to explore deeper layers of detail if needed. This approach has proved particularly helpful for stakeholders who want quick clarity but still need access to supporting information.
At the same time, Duncan recognises that some elements of the storytelling framework still require more practice. In particular, the narrative structure is not yet widely embedded across the team. Building confidence with these tools will require additional experimentation and reinforcement.
What impact is this having on stakeholder engagement and insight activation?
Although it is still too early to see direct cause-and-effect between storytelling improvements and quality of decisions, the team has started to see more thoughtful conversations around data requests.
Instead of receiving brief email requests for information, stakeholders are increasingly willing to have discussions about what they are trying to achieve and whether the available data can support that goal. These conversations help manage expectations and ensure that analysis aligns with the real business problem. As Frank noted, simply having these conversations often improves the final output.
“If you have that conversation up front, you can align what the stakeholder wants with what the data can actually deliver.”
Where does embedding storytelling remain a challenge?
Like many organisations, the biggest challenge is time and focus.
If teams are operating in reactive environments where requests arrive with tight deadlines, analysts may have only a couple of hours to produce outputs, leaving little opportunity to step back and shape the story. This pressure makes it difficult to apply storytelling frameworks consistently.
There is also a broader challenge around how insight is delivered and consumed. With teams working remotely, attending meetings on multiple screens and often multitasking during presentations, even well-structured stories can struggle to capture attention.
As Duncan reflects, storytelling is not only about crafting the narrative, but also about how insights are delivered and experienced by the audience.
What needs to change next?
To rebuild momentum, the team is experimenting with several practical ideas.
One initiative is creating a simple ‘cheat sheet’ summarising the storytelling tools from the training. The goal is to provide a quick reference guide that analysts can use when starting a new project.
The team is also planning a series of practice presentations, where each member presents a short story using storytelling techniques on a topic of their choice. For example, one team member used personal health and fitness data to demonstrate the ‘what, so what, now what’ framework. This approach allows people to practise storytelling in a low-pressure environment before applying the techniques to business work.
Duncan also emphasises the importance of encouraging collaboration within the team. Even a quick five-minute conversation with a colleague can help spark ideas about how to structure a story or apply a framework.
What does this tell us about insight communication in practice?
Duncan and Frank’s reflections reinforce several themes emerging across the ICE series:
- Storytelling starts with better conversations at the briefing stage
- Simple frameworks can change how teams think about their work
- Embedding storytelling requires time and space for reflection
- Practice and collaboration help turn techniques into habits
- The way insights are delivered is as important as the story itself
These themes are echoed across multiple interviews and form the backbone of our upcoming white paper on insight communication and activation in practice.
We will be sharing more insights from the interviews and the white paper over the coming months…so watch this space.