Thought Leadership, Research, and Getting Your Data Right | Mike Ilecki | 481

You're doing research for your thought leadership? Great! But how do you know that you're asking the right questions? Today, we sit down with Mike Ilecki, Vice President of Public Opinion Research and Thought Leadership at Ipsos, a multinational research and consulting firm that delivers reliable information and true understanding of society, markets, and people. People’s perception is often their reality and how perception of the world is constantly changing. With that in mind Mike helps us understand how organizations need to invest in multi-year longitudinal research that tracks not only what the audience thinks and feels now but over time as it changes. Big businesses cannot hope to take the right stand on issues if they are only asking the important questions once. Just as perception changes so too does how people communicate. The method used to capture the data is as important as the questions asked. Mike takes us into the various methods of conducting research and why the method has to match the demographic you are seeking. Because of this it is best to start with the end in mind. Who is it you are trying to communicate with and what are you trying to communicate to them? We also discuss what thought leaders should be aware of when working with research partners. Mike brings his experience of the topic to the conversation explaining that thought leaders need to break out of the box of their organizations point of view and allow the research partner t consult on what the landscape actually is. By learning the right questions to ask and how to ask them you can construct a solid platform to take your message forward with a wide angle view of the topic. Three Key Takeaways: * Thought leadership can be used to better a business and more importantly better the world we live in. * Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. When you step out is when you experience new things, learn and grow. * In order to take the right stand on the issues that matter you have to understand how both your customers and the population in general feel about those issues.