Make them Listen: A Strategic Communication Plan to Influence Action

Has Your Research Ever Been Shelved?

Ever finished a research report packed with compelling insights—insights that could change the course of your product, team, or company—only to watch it get shelved and collect dust? It’s happened to all of us. There are many reasons why this occurs: perhaps the company or product shifted direction, rendering your findings less relevant, or a leader came in and pushed their own agenda despite evidence to the contrary.

But in many cases, the quiet death of our hard work is at least partly our own fault—for not communicating our research with the right level of intention, to the right people, at the right times.

User experience and market researchers often focus on delivering insights to primary stakeholders or immediate team members. But there are usually many other peripheral stakeholders who could benefit from, use, or even champion your research. For instance, a marketing team preparing a product launch might be eagerly awaiting your attitudes-and-usage study to inform their go-to-market strategy. However, if final decisions rest with their executive leadership or the finance department, you must ensure those decision-makers are also included in your readout. And each presentation must be tailored to the audience—speaking their language to ensure your message resonates and lands effectively.

Strategic Communication is Part of the Job

Being intentional about who receives what information, and when, is a best practice borrowed from senior leaders driving organizational change. In structured change management, information is released in a sequenced way—first to those directly impacted, then to immediate teams, and finally to the broader organization. This sequencing helps ensure the right people hear the right message at the right time, which boosts understanding and fosters alignment.

It also protects the trust of your core team, giving you time to refine the message before it reaches broader audiences or executives. We should apply this same level of communication discipline to our research efforts—or risk having our insights fall flat and fail to make an impact.

Why Intentional Communication Planning Matters

It’s no longer enough to simply conduct great research. We must also be skilled communicators and active advocates of our findings. That means proactively identifying who needs the insights, how best to communicate them, and in what format.

With AI accelerating research workflows and businesses demanding more agility, “just doing the research” is now the baseline. Planning how you’ll deliver your core message to specific audiences—across various forums, meetings, and channels—must become part of your process.

Ask yourself:

• Where will the executive summary of findings live? 
• What presentations are planned for the immediate team? For secondary stakeholders? 
• Which other teams might benefit from this research? 
• How does the core message differ across groups? 
• How can someone revisit these insights later? 

Answering these questions during the planning phase—while designing your questionnaire or moderation guide—allows you to book time on calendars early and tailor insights to each audience’s needs, increasing the odds your work is adopted and championed.

A Reusable Template for a Research Communication Plan

Communication planning is essential—but it doesn’t need to be complicated. With a simple, repeatable template, you can make this part of your workflow and avoid overlooking critical stakeholders. Use it as a living document and checklist after each study.

Here are the key components of an effective research communication strategy:

• Sequence 

Define the order in which information should be shared. For example, the Product team should hear difficult news about customer dissatisfaction before the CEO, giving them a chance to prepare and shape the broader message.

• Date & Time 

Specify when each communication will happen. Lock in presentation times, newsletter deadlines, or leadership briefings early—especially when coordinating with senior leaders or busy teams.

• Channel 

Determine where and how you’ll communicate: weekly leadership meetings, standups, newsletters, or async recordings? Note the formats and ask yourself if you’re over relying on live presentations. Can some updates be shared more efficiently?

• Communicator(s) 

Identify who will present each message. If others (like your manager) are delivering findings on your behalf, prepare them. If you’re doing all the presenting, consider enlisting co-leads from other departments to help drive influence.

• Recipient(s) 

Be specific about who needs to receive each message. This is the core of driving impact. Think beyond your immediate team—cast a wide net. If unsure, send an executive summary to a team member and ask if it’s relevant to them.

• Core Message 

Tailor the message to each group. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Marketers may care about acquisition; product teams about features; engineers about bugs or performance. Align the message to their goals and include any decisions or follow-ups needed.

• Notes 

Capture special considerations: word count limits in newsletters, known sensitivities with specific leaders, or dependencies on earlier meetings. This is your catch-all for context that affects how and when to deliver each message.

Here’s an example in action:

Intentional Communication in Action

As demonstrated above, this plan thoughtfully scaffolds the communication of findings—starting with the core team and then expanding outward. It intentionally balances primary and secondary stakeholders, as well as broader forums with their unique requirements, to drive broader influence.

Without this level of planning, a Lead Researcher might overlook key nuances—like emphasizing customer acquisition when aligning with the marketing team—or miss a submission deadline for the “What’s New” newsletter, losing a valuable opportunity to extend the reach of their insights across the organization.

Also note how, in more senior and cross-functional forums, the message is delivered by more than just the Lead Researcher. This signals that the effort is collaborative and that multiple team members are aligned on next steps—a powerful show of pre-meeting consensus in front of executive leaders.

Make Them Listen

Use your communication plan not just to organize delivery, but as a strategic tool to identify who you need in the room—and when—to build alignment and advocacy. Be the driver of the “meeting before the meeting” to secure early buy-in, inspire internal champions, and persuade others to carry your message forward.

In this way, your communication plan becomes more than a logistics tool—it’s a strategy for embedding your work more deeply into the organization.

Mastering intentional communication is just as critical as conducting the research itself. Without a thoughtful strategy for sharing insights that builds trust and layers understanding, you risk your research being shelved once again—never realizing its full impact.

Download the comms plan template, apply it to your next project, and adapt it to suit your needs. Use it to amplify your influence, extend the reach of your insights, and make them listen.