Teaching Students to Decode 'Get Me the Numbers' (And Other Impossible Requests)

Here's the 3-question framework that turns vague requests into clear analysis—plus the AI prompt that creates realistic practice scenarios.

Your students can build perfect dashboards but freeze when managers say "pull some numbers for the meeting."

Your students' biggest career obstacle isn't Python or SQL. It's a stakeholder saying "Can you pull some data?" and them not knowing what that actually means.

And, as many data professionals, they will spend entire weekends building comprehensive dashboards, only to have the stakeholders glance at it and say, "This isn't what I needed."

The technical work was perfect. The analysis was solid. They just answered the wrong question entirely.

Here’s a critical skill we need to reinforce in our classes and training sessions: How to figure out what people actually want when they ask for data.

Why This Keeps Happening in Your Classroom

We teach students with clean datasets and clear objectives.
"Analyze customer churn using this data."
"Create a sales forecast with these variables."

Real workplace requests sound like:

• "Get me the numbers for Monday's meeting"

• "Can you look into our customer situation?"

• "I need some data to support our Q4 planning"

The skill gap: Students can solve any problem perfectly - if someone tells them exactly what problem to solve.

What employers desperately need: People who can turn vague panic into specific, actionable analysis.

The 3-Question Framework That Saves Careers

Instead of teaching students to guess what stakeholders want, teach them to systematically uncover it. Here's the simple framework that works:

Question 1: "What decision will this analysis help you make?"

This cuts through the vagueness immediately.

Not: "What metrics do you want?"
Instead: "What decision are you trying to make with this data?"

Example:

• Vague request: "Look at our sales performance"

• After Question 1: "I need to decide whether to increase the sales team budget or invest in better training"

Question 2: "What would you do if the data showed [X] vs [Y]?"

This reveals what they're really worried about.

Example:

• Follow-up: "What would you do if retention was improving vs. if it was getting worse?"

• Real concern uncovered: "If it's getting worse, I need to defend why we shouldn't cut the customer success budget"

Question 3: "How will you present this to [whoever they're presenting to]?"

This clarifies format, detail level, and political context.

Example:

• Question 3: "How will you use this in the board presentation?"

• Format clarity: "I need one slide with three bullet points that show we're making progress"

The AI Prompt That Creates Practice Scenarios Your Students Actually Need

Here's how to generate realistic "impossible request" scenarios for classroom practice: