Summary
In our remote world, we as researchers need new ways to help our stakeholders cut through the noise to engage and digest our insights more meaningfully through thoughtful and intentional self-directed learning techniques. In this short session, we will discuss 4 key self-directed learning techniques to help you increase engagement around your insights during our debriefing sessions with your stakeholders.
Key Insights
-
•
Designing insight sharing with self-directed learning principles helps stakeholders engage in ways that suit their roles and goals.
-
•
Starting insight sessions with emotional or feelings check-ins enhances human connection and primes participants for productive engagement.
-
•
It is important to distinguish whether insights are shared to build awareness or drive action, as each goal requires a different context and facilitation style.
-
•
Blending synchronous and asynchronous collaboration in insight sharing allows quieter participants to contribute and surfaces richer conversation threads.
-
•
Sharing research reports for pre-reading and commenting before live sessions leads to more meaningful discussions and buy-in during meetings.
-
•
In virtual environments, emotional literacy and reading the room require new approaches since traditional physical cues are missing.
-
•
Involving stakeholders early in research planning and explicitly naming their input in reports increases their sense of ownership and engagement.
-
•
Focusing research communication on the most important and influential stakeholders rather than all possible audiences improves relevance and uptake.
-
•
Using digital collaboration tools, such as digital sticky notes and comments in shared documents, democratizes participation in insight discussions.
-
•
Intentional design of insight sharing journeys—from gaining clarity to enabling strategic action—supports stakeholder needs and organizational goals effectively.
Notable Quotes
"Change is the only constant, and it is really true right now."
"Self-directed learning means tailoring insights around stakeholders' strengths, needs, and interests so everyone can use them to get their jobs done."
"I literally do a feelings check-in, asking people how they are feeling before sharing insights to connect on a human level."
"Zoom fatigue is real, so sometimes moving from synchronous to asynchronous collaboration in the same session helps everyone engage."
"Instead of reading through every slide in a meeting, I send the report out for comments ahead of time to create a more discussion-focused session."
"Everyone loves to see themselves reflected in the research—they want to see their questions answered and named in the report."
"The loudest voices usually get heard the most, so asynchronous commenting helps surface quieter but important perspectives."
"You don't have to have everyone read the entire research; focus on the most influential stakeholders for better impact."
"Designing the context—the why and how of your insight sharing—is critical to ensure insights are heard and acted on."
"Caring for people emotionally during insight sharing equals people being able to show up and be productive."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Efficiency doesn’t necessarily reduce workload; being efficient can ironically result in burnout rather than leisure time."
Angelos ArnisNavigating the Rapid Shifts in Tech's Turbulent Terrain
October 2, 2023
"Design ops is about operationalizing, orchestrating, and optimizing people, process, and platform."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanBring your DesignOps Story to Life! The Definitive DesignOps Book Jam
October 3, 2023
"Turning the company’s view of design from tactical to strategic is like turning a super tanker—it takes a long, wide arc."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
"Queerness taught me that if I didn’t like the rules, I could change the game."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 3, 2019
"Design can have an impact on the bottom line, but that puts pressure on design to justify its value economically."
John Maeda Alison RandAbout Design Organizations (Videoconference)
May 13, 2019
"We consolidated over 10 configurable tools into one holistic supply chain management tool this year."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"How do you create a sense of craft in an environment fraught with ambiguity, complexity, and anxiety?"
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"We recognized recurring challenges: lack of visibility, proving value, and coordinating across teams."
Kristin SkinnerTheme 1 Intro
September 29, 2021
"You might feel like one of the blind men in the story when parts of a process don’t show the whole picture. That’s why you need the full journey exposed."
Maish NichaniSparking a Service Excellence Mindset at a Government Agency
December 9, 2021