A couple of colleagues and I were discussing a new business
idea. But, we had trouble expressing how this new business
would provide value.
And, out of our discussions came the idea of writing a case
study. If you're not familiar with them, case studies are a
staple of business communication. More specifically,
they're histories of specific business initiatives.
They're like articles, but they put the reader into the
shoes of a person making a difficult decision. Other
professions also use case studies; you've probably heard of
medical case studies, for example. Medical students get a
set of facts about a patient, and perhaps some background
or context, and then must diagnose the patient's condition
or disease.
Business case studies have proven popular at some
university business schools (popular with the profs, at
least). In some senses, the case study is the next best
thing to being involved in a real case. And, as I'll argue
here, a powerful form of business communication.
Now, how is this relevant for you? Well, if you have to
persuade others to adopt your point of view, or buy your
products, or vote for you, then you might find a case study
useful.
In fact, you may be doing something like that already.
Whenever you tell a story that's designed to make a certain
business communication point, you're using a form of case
study.
During my brief foray into life insurance sales, for
example, I learned that emotion sells policies, and not
logic. That's why people in the business have a raft of
stories about people who did or did not have protection
when they died.
The moral, of course, is that you should not only have life
insurance, but you should have the right kind, and in the
right amount. Now, if you sold life insurance, you would
quickly find that no one listens when you explain the
logic, but they will listen -- and act -- if you have your
case studies (your anecdotes).
So, having gone through all that, is a case study just a
fancy name for an anecdote or story? Yes, to a certain
extent it is any tale used in business communication.
But, when you think of a case study, think of it as a more
elaborate and more logically constructed story. Typically,
a case study describes an organization or manager facing a
choice or dilemma of some kind, and the reader gets a
number of facts about the options. Then, the reader is
challenged to make a choice. Some real-life case studies
include a follow-up report, so readers know which real-life
decision was made, and how it worked out.
Getting back to the business idea with which we started, my
colleagues and I did not proceed, and the case study
exposition became a moot point. But, had we gone ahead, the
case study likely would have been the cornerstone of our
business communication efforts.
Finally, if you'd like to read some case studies, simply go
to your favorite search engine and type in this phrase
(with or without the quotation marks): "case study
examples" or "case studies" .
In summary, case studies are a special type of business
communication; they help us understand real-life decisions,
and are a useful resource for persuasion and education. Add
one or more to your business communication toolbox.
----------------------------------------------------
Robert F. Abbott writes extensively about business
communication, and his work includes the book, A Manager's
Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results. You can
read about his employee communication services and another
free workplace communication article at:
http://www.employee-communication.com/ .
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