Presenting Findings and Perspectives (LC 2027) (Leaving Cert Business): Revision Notes

Presenting Findings and Perspectives

When you complete your business investigation, you need to share your discoveries effectively with your audience. This involves choosing the right communication methods, presenting data clearly, and supporting your conclusions with evidence.

Communication methods

There are three main ways to communicate your findings, each with distinct advantages and limitations that make them suitable for different situations.

Oral communication

Oral communication uses speech to exchange information directly with your audience. This includes face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, video conferences, and presentations.

Key advantages:

• Provides immediate feedback and clarification
• Allows for real-time questions and discussion
• Creates personal connection with audience

Main limitations:

• Creates no permanent record of information
• Depends on audience paying attention throughout
• May lead to misunderstandings without written backup

Written communication

Written communication transfers information through text-based formats. This includes letters, reports, emails, and written proposals.

Key advantages:

• Creates permanent record for future reference
• Ensures accuracy and avoids misunderstandings
• Allows careful planning and editing before sending

Main limitations:

• Takes longer to receive feedback from recipients
• Raises security concerns if confidential information is involved
• May lack the personal touch of face-to-face interaction

Visual communication

Visual communication uses images, graphs, charts, and graphics to share information. This includes posters, advertisements, infographics, and social media content.

Key advantages:

• Makes information easy to understand quickly
• Particularly effective for presenting numerical and statistical data
• Appeals to visual learners and captures attention

Main limitations:

• Cannot be used alone - needs supporting text or explanation
• May oversimplify complex information
• Requires design skills to create effective visuals

Analysing and evaluating information

Before presenting your findings, you must carefully examine your collected data to identify patterns, trends, and meaningful insights.

Key analysis framework

When reviewing your data, use these action verbs to guide your analysis:

• TIME - What was the time period of the statistics?
• TREND - What happened to the data? Did it increase or decrease?
• WHY - What might explain why this change occurred?
• THEORY - Can you connect your findings to business theories you've studied?

This systematic approach helps you move beyond simply describing data to actually interpreting what it means for businesses and stakeholders.

Drawing evidence-based conclusions

Your conclusions must be supported by the evidence you've gathered. Use structured approaches to present your findings professionally.

Strong conclusions typically follow patterns such as:

• "In my opinion, [approach] is effective. The evidence shows that..."
• "It is my conclusion that... The data shows that..."
• "My research shows that... I believe this to be true because..."

Visual presentation methods

Graphs, diagrams and graphics serve as powerful tools for presenting information visually. They help your audience understand complex data quickly and identify key trends and patterns.

Types of graphs and their uses

Pie charts work best for showing how different parts make up a whole. Use them when you want to display percentages or proportions, such as market share or budget allocation.

Histograms effectively display frequency data and show how values are distributed across different ranges. They're ideal for presenting survey results or measurement data.

Pictograms use symbols or icons to represent quantities, making data more engaging and easier to understand for general audiences.

Bar charts compare different categories or show changes over time periods. They're versatile and work well for most types of comparative data.

Creating effective charts

When constructing any chart or graph, follow these essential guidelines:

• Include a clear, descriptive title
• Label both axes appropriately
• Use consistent scaling throughout
• Draw bars with uniform width using a ruler
• Ensure categories appear on the x-axis and frequency on the y-axis

Professional communication formats

Different business situations require specific communication formats. Understanding when and how to use each format demonstrates professional competence.

Business letters

Business letters provide formal written communication between organisations or with external stakeholders. They create official records and convey professionalism.

Essential elements include:

• Company letterhead with contact details
• Reference numbers for filing purposes
• Recipient's full address
• Clear subject line stating the letter's purpose
• Professional salutation and closing
• Signature block with sender's name and position

Memos

Memos facilitate brief, internal communication within organisations. They're cost-effective and provide concise information sharing between departments or team members.

Advantages of memos:

• No postage or telephone costs required
• Brief and concise format saves time
• Creates internal record of communication

Disadvantages of memos:

• Limited to internal communication only
• Not suitable for complex or detailed information
• May lack personal touch of face-to-face discussion

Emails

Email communication offers fast, efficient information sharing both internally and externally. Modern businesses rely heavily on email for day-to-day operations.

Professional emails should include:

• Clear, specific subject line
• Appropriate salutation
• Focused message content
• Professional closing
• Complete signature with contact information

Reports

Reports provide comprehensive, structured presentation of research findings and recommendations. They serve as formal documents for decision-making and record-keeping.

Key report sections typically include:

• Executive summary highlighting main findings
• Detailed methodology and data analysis
• Clear recommendations based on evidence
• Appendices with supporting documentation
• Complete bibliography of sources used

Academic referencing and citations

Proper referencing demonstrates academic integrity and allows readers to verify your sources. You must acknowledge all information sources used in your investigation.

Direct quotations

When using direct quotations, you copy the author's exact words and place them within quotation marks. This approach works best for particularly powerful or precise statements.

Requirements for direct quotes:

• Write the words exactly as they appear in the original source
• Use quotation marks around the quoted material
• Include the author's surname, year of publication, and page number
• Provide complete source details in your bibliography

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves summarising the author's ideas using your own words while maintaining the original meaning. This demonstrates your understanding of the material.

Paraphrasing guidelines:

• Summarise the main ideas rather than copying word-for-word
• Write the author's name and publication year in brackets
• Ensure the meaning remains accurate to the original source
• Include the source in your bibliography

Bibliography format

Your bibliography lists all sources consulted during your research. This complete record appears at the end of your report in alphabetical order.

For written sources include:

• Author's name
• Year of publication
• Title of book or article
• Place of publication
• Name of publisher
• Hyperlink and download date for online sources

Self-reflection and evaluation

Effective learning requires reflecting on your investigation process and evaluating how your understanding has developed throughout the project.

Reflexion areas

Consider these key aspects of your learning journey:

• Understanding development: "I developed a greater understanding of..."
• Changed perspectives: "My opinion on... has changed because..."
• Future applications: "Having investigated... I will now..."
• Skill improvement: "I improved my... skills because..."
• New insights: "I gained insights into..."

This reflexion process helps consolidate your learning and identifies areas for continued development in future business investigations.

Remember!

• Choose appropriate communication methods - Use oral for immediate feedback, written for permanent records, and visual for complex data presentation

• Support all conclusions with evidence - Use the TIME-TREND-WHY-THEORY framework to analyse data systematically before drawing conclusions

• Create professional visual presentations - Ensure all charts have titles, labelled axes, and consistent scaling to communicate effectively

• Follow proper business communication formats - Use appropriate templates for letters, memos, emails, and reports to maintain professional standards

• Reference all sources correctly - Use direct quotations sparingly and paraphrase effectively while maintaining complete bibliographies for academic integrity