Archives - QRCA

Co-Moderando el Futuro: Adoptar la IA sin perder la chispa humana

September 16, 2025 0

En este artículo oportuno y revelador, Lauren McCluskey comparte su experiencia personal al adentrarse en la moderación con IA, detonada por una sorpresiva solicitud de un cliente que llegó mientras estaba en una pista de esquí. Con una mezcla única de reflexión personal y orientación práctica, desglosa dónde las herramientas de IA pueden potenciar la investigación cualitativa y dónde los moderadores humanos siguen siendo esenciales. Los lectores obtendrán un marco claro para evaluar plataformas de IA, ejemplos reales de uso híbrido y una hoja de ruta para mantenerse relevantes en un panorama en evolución. Ya seas curioso, cauteloso o entusiasta de la IA, este artículo es lectura obligada para investigadores cualitativos que navegan el futuro de la co-moderación con IA. […]

Qualitative Research for Political Campaigns in an Era of Hyper-Partisanship

September 16, 2025 0

Qualitative research in U.S. politics faces unique challenges in an era of hyper-partisanship. Experts Dave Metz and Lori Weigel explore how polarization impacts voter engagement, recruitment, and honest dialogue—and share strategies researchers can use to navigate bias, build trust, and uncover authentic insights that inform effective campaign messaging. […]

Speakership is Leadership: A Guide for Sudden Leaders Who Need to Lead with Their Words. Yesterday.

September 16, 2025 0

Margaret Watts Romney, author of Speakership is Leadership, takes you on a journey to uncover the truth behind your “speakership,” which goes beyond public speaking to embrace a holistic approach, as you guide others with your words. In the book, she describes the tools and insights required for speakership, including how to prepare for public speaking and how to understand your voice and body and the signals they give during moments of speakership. […]

SYNTHETIC DATA: Friend or Foe?

September 16, 2025 0

Synthetic data is moving from buzzword to practical helper for qual. This article demystifies what it is (and isn’t), distinguishes spreadsheet-style synthetic datasets from narrative synthetic personas, and shows when to use each—screeners, guide tests, privacy-safe storytelling, and bridging gaps between qual/quant—without replacing live human voices. You’ll get starter use cases, guardrails (seed quality, labeling, sanity checks), a beginner’s playbook, and hybrid workflows so synthetic data lightens the load while real conversations do the delicate listening. […]

Podcasts

VIEWS Podcasts: Sally Kohn

September 16, 2025 0

In the latest episode of Conversations in Depth, host Doug Keith sits down with Sally Kohn—public speaking coach, media trainer, author, and former MSNBC commentator—to explore her journey from on-air personality to executive presence coach. Sally shares what she’s learned about connecting across differences and why empathy and understanding are essential skills for researchers and leaders navigating today’s polarized climate. […]

Book Reviews

How to Make People Buy: The Art & Science of Enabling, Engaging, and Empowering Your Customers

September 16, 2025 0

This article reviews How to Make People Buy (2024) by Thomas Ramsøy, CEO of Neurons Inc., which challenges marketers to move beyond attention alone and master his 4-Power Model: attention, emotions, understanding, and memory. Using famous campaigns like Sony Bravia’s bouncing balls, Ramsøy shows how even award-winning ads can fail if the brand isn’t at the heart of the story. He shares neuroscience-based tips—logo placement, eye-guiding contrasts, simplifying visuals, embedding key messages—to create ads that capture attention and drive memory. While the author is skeptical of metaphorical advertising, the article argues effective metaphors can still fuel some of the most iconic campaigns. […]

From the President

From The President – Fall 2025

September 16, 2025 0

By Jeff Hecker QRCA President | QRCA Principal, Athena Brand Wisdom Toronto, Ontario, Canada | jeff.hecker@athenabrand.com […]

Uncovering Your Voice Story to Influence Others Through a New Sound of Power, with Samara Bay

September 16, 2025 0

Zoë Billington speaks with Samara Bay, author of Permission to Speak, on rethinking the traditional narratives of public speaking and power. She discusses how authenticity, personal voice stories, and emotional engagement can transform how we, as researchers and business leaders, communicate effectively. […]

Co-Moderating the Future: Embracing AI without Losing the Human Spark

September 16, 2025 0

This personal essay chronicles a qualitative researcher’s pivotal moment in embracing AI moderation. What began as fear—a client’s unexpected request for AI-led IDIs—transformed into curiosity and confidence through hands-on exploration of AI platforms. The article outlines where AI moderation works (structured, low-emotion contexts; large sample sizes; hybrid models) and where human moderators remain indispensable (emotionally nuanced, culturally complex conversations). It also shares practical hybrid use cases, key questions for evaluating AI platforms, and a call for moderators to evolve from “resisters” to “meaning makers” who blend human intuition with AI’s efficiency to serve clients better. […]

Germany – A Powerhouse Running Out of Steam?

September 16, 2025 0

Germany—long a symbol of prosperity—is showing signs of a subtle “poverty creep.” Growth has stalled, infrastructure is crumbling, consumer confidence is low, and once-admired cultural virtues are flipping into inhibitors. This article examines five such shifts—eco-idealism turning into guilt, consensus stifling individuality, perfectionism leading to fatalism, rule-following morphing into red-tape overload, and prudence mutating into missed opportunities—and offers suggestions for marketers and researchers on how to re-inject energy, empathy, and rule-breaking creativity to help loosen consumers’ purse strings and reawaken possibility. […]