Turning research expertise into business decisions
You've invested in brilliant scientists, researchers, and technical experts to generate insight and drive innovation. But technical expertise doesn't speak for itself.
Zirafah's custom-designed programmes and workshops help research-driven organisations close the gap between what researchers know and how they communicate that knowledge so that your business can act on it.
When research expertise and technical insights don't reach the people who make decisions, organisations lose the very advantage they've invested in building.
The symptoms vary, but they often look something like this:
HR and business leaders:
Your researchers are highly capable, but non-expert stakeholders leave meetings unsure what the findings mean for decisions, priorities, or next steps.
R&D and innovation leaders:
Your team produces valuable insight, but struggles to translate it for commercial, operational, and leadership audiences across the business.
Scientists and researchers:
You keep being asked for "the bottom line". The reality is more nuanced and uncertain, and you're at a loss about what to include and what to leave out.
These symptoms are different, but they all share the same underlying challenge: specialist knowledge isn't reaching the people who need it in a form they can act on.
That's where Zirafah comes in: we help researchers and technical specialists communicate their expertise in ways that different business audiences can understand, trust, and act on.
Unlike generic communication training, every programme is tailored to your organisation. We start by speaking with both researchers and stakeholders to understand the communication challenges in your context before designing the programme that follows.
Get in touch for a conversation, or learn more about how we work →
The "research-to-decision gap":
the distance between what your researchers know and communicate, and what your decision-makers understand and can use.
Who we've worked with:
We've worked with R&D teams, research groups, and scientists across Europe and beyond at research-driven organisations like:
What clients say
“Suzanne gave our team practical tools to adapt the same research for different stakeholders. We started applying what we learned immediately and can already see improvements in how we communicate our work.”
E. Khoury, R&D Engineer, Submarine New Technologies and Innovation, Prysmian S.p.a.
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Figuring out where the "gap" is: take the survey
We're developing a diagnostic to help organisations identify where research expertise gets lost between researchers and decision-makers.
Help shape the tool by taking our five-minute survey. You'll have the option to receive a summary of the findings and receive an early-bird invitation to use the diagnostic as soon as it's ready.
The Research-to-Decision Gap newsletter
How does research expertise move through organisations? Where does communication break down? And what helps researchers shape messaging that helps decision-makers act?
Every 4–6 weeks, The Research-to-Decision Gap explores these questions through practical examples, observations, and ideas from the field.
Individual communication coaching for scientists and researchers in business
Are you a scientist, researcher, or technical expert looking for individual communication coaching to help you translate your work into messages that other business units can use?
We work one-to-one with a handful of individual each month, giving them and their needs our full attention and helping them build and refine their skills.
If this sounds like something you need, get in touch to tell us a bit about you and we can explore the options.
