Do you see what I see?

Research is a Conversation
May 2011
This was a topic of conversation in itself amongst colleagues recently.

Yes, we talk with people (aka respondents, consumers, customers etc) all the time. We elicit all manner of insights and ideas. And we take these back to our clients in the form of presentations, reports etc.
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Good Ideas
January 2011
With a nod to Steven Johnson whose lecture I went to at the RSA and whose book (Where good ideas come from) I read again recently. We live in a culture of brainstorming and on the spot analysis – we all want instant creativity, on tap, right now.
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Step outside
December 2010
We can get too close to our work. Too wrapped up in the day to day, ticking tasks off the list, processing decisions. It is easy to lose perspective on our role and move forward with tunnel vision. Sometimes we need to step away from the desk, step outside our role, in order to regain some perspective.
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Why coaching?
November 2010
I initially looked into coaching because I felt my skills and experience in qualitative research aligned with this field. And over the years I had worked with groups of clients and seen situations where coaching may have helped internal teams and individuals. In reality, it was a very different process to moderation and mediation and it took some considerable adjustment and learning to come to grips with.
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Insight: or Through the Glass Darkly
October 2010
Insight is a much overused word in our industry. Many researchers see themselves as a conduit, channelling words of wisdom straight from the consumers lips, directly to the Creative Brief. And they call this insight.
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Decision time
August 2010
The votes are in and Australia, too, has a hung parliament. A bit of a trend these days it seems. Which leads me to the topic of decision making under in uncertain times. A straw poll (amongst friends and colleagues) has revealed 3 interesting views....
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Online Qualitative
July 2010
The merits of on line groups or other on line qualitative methodologies created a lot of debate at a recent AQR showcase. On line groups are increasingly popular in the US and there is some pressure to adopt them more wholeheartedly in the UK. But there is some degree of resistance from UK practitioners.
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Challenging definitions
June 2010
I had a conversation with Mike (a coaching client) the other day about social expectations. He is in his late 40s and in a happy long term relationship but hit a real sticking point when we talked about marriage. In his mind, this represented a ‘tick box’ social structure that he didn’t feel that he fitted into - by not following the expected path of marriage, mortgage, children at a younger age, he felt uncomfortable about launching down this path now. Somehow he felt out of step with perceived societal norms, but he also commented that many of his friends were equally out of step – square peg in round hole syndrome.
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In the Spirit of Coalition
May 2010
A new coalition government. The polls saw it coming. We are yet to see how the institutions of government adjust to this new era of cooperation. It sets me to thinking about cooperation and the concept of partnership in terms of business relationships - with both clients and respondents.
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What's the Story?
March 2010
We all like stories. They are one of the key ways that people make sense of the world and their place in it. So much can be conveyed in a story; emotion, ideology, commitment and truth.
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On being Green
February 2010
How Green are we really? We're hearing of more green behaviours from consumers these days. People walking to the shop rather than taking the car. Taking the train to work. Cooking more meals from scratch. Turning down the thermostat. Holidaying at home rather than abroad. And good on them.
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'Nostalgia' or the rear view mirror
January 2010
As the effects of the recession start to ebb (well, a little...) it is interesting to reflect on the power of nostalgia. Certainly it's been a more common thread through campaigns and marketing strategies over the last few years.
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