What is an insight anyway?

Originally published September 2023

Have you ever walked into your boss’s office or board room to show off your latest research or beautiful chart only to have them ask, “so what?” or “what does it mean?” Gut punch.

You likely presented the information, even told them how to read the chart. But I bet you forgot the insight!

Now “insight” is one of those words that gets overused — like pivot, strategy, engagement — so it’s probably helpful to define it. An insight is a quantifiable piece of information that frames the way we understand an issue and/or informs how we strategically address it.

If it’s easier to understand what it isn’t, an insight is not:

• A generic truth that we know and understand without rigorous data analysis
• An interesting bit of trivia that isn’t strategic or actionable
• A signal, though a signal could turn into an insight over time or lead you to research that uncovers one

Here’s an example: In a recent conversation with a homeless-serving organization, a strategic question was presented: do we double down on direct services, or do we begin moving upstream? Most organizations in this space are familiar with point-in-time counts and their own program data. But looking at data collected by local school districts revealed 3,700 homeless students in Fulton, 2,400 in DeKalb, 2,000 in Gwinnett, 1,900 in Clayton, 1,800 in Cobb…that was mind-blowing.

With that data, you might formulate an insight that homing in on the shocking number of homeless students (and their guardians) could both provide critical direct services to families now and prevent future homelessness by creating more resilient youth. The insight illuminates a new, strategic way to frame an issue and informs how the organization might act.

What insights have you found in your data? And how do they inform your work?