Business Matters

Dealing With Big Change? Don’t Just Survive. Thrive!

Qualitative moderator Kelley Styring offers a provocative look at people who have navigated and overcome significant emotional and physical challenges in their lives and emerged to thrive. Through engaging stories, Styring shares five behavioral and attitudinal operational principles that qualitative researchers can apply to our own lives. […]

Shooting a stand-up show. Stand-up comedian on stage at the microphone.
Business Matters

3 Things Stand-Up Comedy Can Teach You About Building a Moderating Business

With a background as a professional stand-up comedian, focus group moderator/interviewer Leigh Kessler delivers a unique perspective on the fundamentals of both, highlighting similarities and sharing three unique lessons learned in stand-up comedy that can help develop interview skills and make you a great focus group moderator. Learn how you can benefit as a moderator—and businessperson—by spending a little time doing stand-up comedy. […]

Business Matters

What Am I Buying and Why: An Insurance Primer

Calvin Gilman explains the types of small-business insurance that may be most relevant for qualitative researchers operating small businesses. Calvin aims to arm readers with some tools that will help them become more savvy consumers of insurance, and give them a better understanding of the risks that face their businesses and methods to mitigate those risks. He discusses contract insurance, professional liability, and the growing issue of cyber liability coverage. Qualitative professionals should discuss these issues with insurance brokers to determine coverage options and premiums available, and should also discuss risk management with their entire qualitative research teams. […]

Business Matters

Improv Mindset: 4 Principles to Build Your Qualitative Skills

Qualitative research is a form of applied improvisation: even though moderators prepare extensively, almost anything can happen in an actual conversation, and we have to be able to react in the moment—all while putting on a show for our highly-engaged client “audience.” Actor Will Dennis describes how deliberately adopting an “improv mindset” can further bolster our qualitative skills, offering exercises to help us listen more attentively, make our respondents look good, and reconsider how spontaneous dialogue can turn into opportunities for more genuine and authentic conversations with participants. […]

Business Matters

Confidentiality Matters: Qualitative Best Practices

Data privacy is becoming increasingly important, and also increasingly confusing. The global head of compliance and quality for Cerner Enviza discusses best practices for maintaining confidentiality and also abiding by privacy laws when practicing qualitative research. The article includes advice on how to best handle any incidental disclosure by respondents. […]

Business Matters

Analytics That Matter for Your Personal LinkedIn Profile

Social media expert Priscilla McKinney shares 7 tips to maximize your time spent on LinkedIn. She shows how to optimize your profile with keywords and proper (even fun) information to create meaningful connections. Establish yourself as a thought leader in your area of expertise and start to see sustainable lead generation. […]