DEVELOPING YOUR

ANALYTICAL SKILLS

By Tony Obregon

March 12, 2012

WHAT EXACTLY ARE ANALYTICAL SKILLS?

The ability to apply logical thinking to the gathering and analyzing of information

The ability to visualize, articulate, and solve problems and concepts

The ability to make decisions that make sense based on available information

Source: Wikipedia

WHY ANALYZE INFORMATION?

The political decisions we make can change the

course of legislation locally, regionally and globally

The economic decisions we make impact how we

live and the future of companies and markets

The personal decisions we make affect the

relationships you have with family, friends and co-

workers

The business decisions we make can enhance the

quality of our work and even open doors to new

opportunities

5 TIPS TO BETTER ANALYTICAL SKILLS

1. Ask the right questions

2. Realize what you don’t know

3. Make no assumptions

4. Don’t take what you see at face value

5. Turn information into knowledge

#1 - ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

What do we know already?

What do we need to know?

What are the expected results?

How will we act on this once we have

the data?

How much time am I allotted on this

research?

When is the information needed?

Conduct an

“Informational Interview”

THE POWER OF THE QUESTION!

Over 1 billion web pages

devoted to questions for

every type of situation!

The most critical question is...

HOW

will the information will be used

by the requestor?

#2 - REALIZE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Don’t be embarrassed to ask simple

questions

Start from the bottom to ensure you

cover all the bases

Allow your research to guide you into

different directions

#3 - MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS

Does the requestor really know what

they want?

Are you sure that the information will

be easily found?

Is it possible that someone may have

gathered similar information?

Do you have enough time to

complete the task?

If in doubt about the results or the

format of the report…ask.

#4 - DON’T TAKE THINGS AT FACE VALUE

Errors occur by both man and

machine

Cross-reference statistics and

research when possible

Look deeper to determine the real

value in the information

Validate sources to ensure their

credibility, especially those online

From 500 feet this may look

like Marilyn Monroe but on

closer inspection it’s actually

Albert Einstein

ASSESSING SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Who created the source and why?

Is this person a neutral party or do

they have a vested interest?

Did this person have first-hand

knowledge or only reporting on what

others heard and saw?

Remember to cite your sources

After collecting information, review

and assemble it

Create categories that help organize it

Look for patterns of recurring data

Add your perspective to what you’ve

uncovered

Summarize analysis to crystallize the

findings

Bring value to the information by

keeping your requestor in mind

ANALYZING NEWS COVERAGE

What kind of media outlet published

the story?

How is the client/company/topic

positioned?

Any spokespeople quoted?

Are competitors mentioned?

Is the article balanced?

What are the key messages?

Is this from a regular columnist,

freelancer or contributing author?

What is the circulation/readership?

Was this posted online as well?

ANALYZING BLOG POSTS

Is this the real author or was the post hijacked?

Is the content syndicated from another source?

Are there numerous ads littering the blog?

Is the URL suspicious looking?

How much influence does the blogger have?

What’s their experience and association with

the topic?

Who are they connected to online?

How many comments are being left on the blog

by readers?

Do they link to other networks that you can

follow to get more insight on them?

Have they covered this topic before?

ANALYTICAL QUIZ

HOW MANY “F”S IN THE SENTENCE?

ANALYTICAL QUIZ

WHAT WORD DO YOU SEE?

ANALYTICAL QUIZ

WHAT WORD DO YOU SEE?

ANALYTICAL QUIZ

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

ANALYTICAL QUIZ

HOW MANY BLACK DOTS DO YOU SEE?

THE END

www.tonyobregon.com