Hi David

Data and insights clearly matter – but we should also blend this with a compelling narrative if we are going to build greater credibility. We need to think like marketing – and combine some key data that is compelling (a few choice stats rather than lots of spreadsheets) with the story we want to tell – through quotes, anecdotes, etc – to help them to ‘care’ about what we are telling them. Data on its own engages leaders on an intellectual level – but we need to appeal to their imagination and their emotions if we are to have the impact we want.

We also need to think about the types of data we are collecting. Here’s a link to a recent blog that explains this point in more detail https://disruptivehr.com/writing-an-hr-board-report-that-they-actually-enjoy-reading/

Hope this helps!

Lucy