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INSIGHTS LIBRARY - CHEATSHEET

 STRATEGY FINISHING SCHOOL 

INSIGHTS LIBRARY - CHEATSHEET

Looking to understand the theory behind insights? 

Here’s the best resources. 

VIDEO

What is the difference between an insight and observation? - I talk about the difference between an insight and observation

How to find consumer insights - I talk about 3 places to look to find insights 

How to write an insight with tension - I show an example from Wrangler packed with tension

What is a consumer insight - Danish Chan and I discuss what an insight is 

What is an Insight - Nick Hirst explains what an insight at APG Noisy Thinking 2014

What is an Insight and how to reveal insights - Webinar of Yonathan Dominitz discussing what an Insight is and what are the Mindscapes creative tools for revealing insights.

How Insights Open Problems - Short class from Mark Pollard, explaining how insights can open up problems for your next creative brief

Insights vs Observations - Zwolf Strategy differentiating Insights vs Observations

What is an Insight - Outside in Company defining consumer insight for use in innovation and marketing

What is an Insight? - Andy Davidson explains what an insight at APG Noisy Thinking 2014

Insight Vs. Observations - Mat Shore explains why one of the simplest and most frequent mistakes we make when generating insights is to mistake facts about the customer for insight into the customer.

BLOGPOST

Insights are revelations - New Year’s Revelation by Richard Huntington

A Good Insight Is Like A Refrigerator - Jeremy Bullmore explaining how a good insight is like a refrigerator 

Stop Fetishising The Insight  - Martin Weigal discusses how fetishising insights encourages us to try and be profound and clever rather than useful.

The Lives Of Others. To Find A Way In, We Must Find The Way Out Of Our Own - Martin Weigal shares how much he hates Insights

Insight, Idea, Execution: “and the wisdom to know the difference” - Sarah Hiraki differentiates Insight, Idea and Execution, and shares real life examples

The insight: the most important part of the brief' - Edward Boches how an insight is the most important part of the brief

Power of Insights in Advertising - Brand insights explain The Cutting-Edge Power Of Insights In Advertising

ARTICLE

Design Research From Interview to Insight - Matt Cooper-Wright shares how to synthesize Insight

"What is an Insight, anyway?" - Think with Google Article on what an insight is 

3 Tips For Finding Insight Gems -  4A’s member shares 3 tips for finding insight gems

What is an Insight? - Compilation of APG Noisy Thinking, discussing what an insight is, in various perspectives

Insight And Conflict Resolution: The Universal Lynchpin Of Brand Relevance - 2018 article by Tom Doctoroff about insight and conflict resolution

Where to look for Insight - Article from Harvard Business Review which accidentally reverse-engineers the question by outlining seven places to look for insight.

BOOK

Any Insight Yet? Latest book on the topic by Chris Kocek, this is an easy 2 hour read

Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think - Written by Tasha Eurich, Learn how to develop self-awareness and use it to become more fulfilled, confident, and successful.

DECK

What is an Insight? - 40+ Definitions Of An Insight compiled by Umar Ghumman

Sweathead Beat These Insights - Examples - Compiled by Mark Pollard for Sweathead Beat These Insights

A Hunter's Guide To BS-Free Insights - Tom Morton diving deep on Insights

Shout out to all the collaborators: Kate Peer, David Cerveny, Arielle Peters, Isabella Ayub, Andres Carrrilloa, Juan Joli, Morgan Bisha, Niels Belllaar, Rodrigo Silver, D. Mooney, Michaela Petre, Cristina Abdel, Suryasen Kundu, Prashant Kohli, Brooke Townswend, Andrea Dahlback, Cristian Sanchez, Dia Kirpalani, Steven Webster, Rish Tamilrajan, Leroy Nunes, Augstine Patrick, Kirsty Roxburgh, Georgia Padovan, Joanna Davanzo, Johnathon Bink, Matt Higgins, Emily Hauptle, , Bruno Facundes, Hannah Gulla, Jennifer Inglis, Sia O’Neill, Marisol Perez, Boris Vukic, Lukas Klejch, Reinis Amo, Steven Pace, Gui Pasculli, Joanna Davanzo, Rachel Shun 

If you have any suggestions for other resources, please email me at julian@strategyfinishingschool.com

Prompt - Make results for Human in ChatGPT

 

1. The Professional AI Humanizer

“Act as a professional human-writing editor. Rewrite the following text to sound natural, human, and conversational. Remove robotic phrasing, stiff structure, and unnatural flow while keeping the original meaning intact. Text: [paste text].”

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2. Natural Human Tone Converter

“Rewrite this text so it sounds like it was written by a real human with experience and confidence. Improve sentence rhythm, word choice, and flow. Avoid robotic patterns or overly formal language. Text: [paste text].”

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3. The AI-Detection Safe Rewrite

“Humanize this text so it does not feel AI-generated. Vary sentence length, add natural phrasing, improve transitions, and make it feel organic and authentic without adding fluff or changing the message. Text: [paste text].”

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4. Conversational Human Rewrite

“Rewrite the following content to sound conversational, warm, and natural as if a knowledgeable human is explaining it casually. Keep it professional but approachable. Text: [paste text].”

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5. The Emotion & Flow Humanizer

“Edit this text to add subtle human emotion, smooth flow, and natural emphasis. Remove monotone phrasing and make the writing feel alive, thoughtful, and engaging. Text: [paste text].”

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6. Human Language Converter

“Rewrite this text using simple, natural human language. Remove jargon, stiff phrasing, and AI-like sentence patterns while keeping the message clear and intact. Text: [paste text].”

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7. Human Rhythm & Style Fixer

“Edit this text to improve natural human rhythm and writing style. Vary sentence length, adjust pacing, and remove repetitive or predictable phrasing. Text: [paste text].”

Public Speaking Skills - Presenting

 The #1 skill every leader must master:

Public speaking.

It’s not just for big stages or microphones.
It’s for daily moments that define your leadership.

✅ Running a team meeting
✅ Giving tough feedback
✅ Pitching to clients
✅ Updating your manager
✅ Leading on Zoom

If you can’t speak clearly:
Your ideas get ignored.
Your confidence gets questioned.
Your impact gets lost.

11 practical ways to speak with clarity and confidence:

1. The 3-Second Eye Contact Rule
→ Hold eye contact for 2–3 seconds, then shift
→ Move slowly across the room, not too fast

2. The One-Line Opening
→ Start with a single, clear sentence
→ Say what this is about and why it matters

3. Power Pause
→ Pause for 2 seconds after key lines
→ Don’t rush into the next sentence

4. The Filler Word Test
→ Cut “just,” “I think,” “sort of,” “like”
→ Say it out loud and catch what you don’t need

5. Palm-Up Principle
→ Speak with open hands facing up
→ Avoid pointing or crossing your arms

6. The 90-Second Story Rule
→ Keep your story under 90 seconds
→ Focus on the moment, not the backstory

7. Stand-and-Deliver
→ Stay grounded while speaking important points
→ Only move when switching topic or energy

8. Rule of Three
→ Group ideas into three parts
→ Audiences remember 3s better than 2s or 5s

9. The 30-Second Rehearsal Rule
→ Practise your first 30 seconds 10x more
→ Nail the opening, the rest will follow

10. The Silent Reset
→ If you feel nervous, pause and breathe
→ One full breath calms the whole system

11. Out-Loud Only Practice
→ Never rehearse silently in your head
→ Stand, speak, and time yourself every run

Clear speaking = clear thinking.
And clear thinking = trusted leadership.