How to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon
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
-
•
Self-directed learning can empower stakeholders to engage with research insights on their own terms, increasing uptake and action.
-
•
Designing the context of insight sharing intentionally—considering group size, goals, and stakeholder needs—improves clarity and impact.
-
•
Emotional literacy, or checking in on participants’ feelings before sharing insights, helps prime stakeholders for better receptiveness.
-
•
Asynchronous collaboration within live sessions encourages quieter voices to be heard and builds rich discussions around insights.
-
•
Using digital tools that allow commenting directly on research reports democratizes feedback and documents conversations in real time.
-
•
Early engagement of stakeholders in framing research questions fosters buy-in and makes the research more relevant to their concerns.
-
•
Not everyone needs to read or engage with all research content; focusing on the most influential stakeholders optimizes effort and impact.
-
•
Combining synchronous and asynchronous modes in insight sharing sessions can manage Zoom fatigue and diversify participation.
-
•
Explicitly naming stakeholders' questions in research reports increases their sense of being seen and encourages participation.
-
•
Insight sharing should shift from just delivering information to designing a learning experience tailored to stakeholders’ strengths and interests.
Notable Quotes
"Change is the only constant, so designing insight sharing with self-directed learning is critical."
"Caring for people emotionally during insight sessions directly impacts their productivity and willingness to engage."
"Sometimes the loudest voices dominate, but asynchronous collaboration helps give quieter voices a chance to speak."
"I literally ask, how are you feeling right now? It’s about connecting on a human level before diving into data."
"Before sharing insights, I try to prime the room by acknowledging feelings and starting fresh."
"Sharing insights is like creating a learning space where stakeholders can use the information in their own way."
"Sending reports early and inviting comments turns the insight session into more of a discussion than a presentation."
"Everyone wants to see themselves reflected in the research questions and findings."
"Focus your research report on the three most influential stakeholders, not everyone."
"Combining synchronous and asynchronous communication within one session gets us from awareness to action."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"It didn’t matter how good the design was nor how good the strategy was if the organization delivering the design wasn’t set up to do it well."
Peter MerholzThe Mysterious Case of the Missing UX Career Path
August 25, 2022
"Sharing your skills and teaching others can boost your confidence and professional development."
Kathleen AsjesResearch Democratization: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
March 10, 2022
"Insight primers help you identify opportunities, customer problems, and develop strategies."
Andy WarrUnder My (Research) Umbrella: The Benefits and Challenges of Building a Unified Insights Function
March 25, 2024
"Civic design lets us nuance the full range of citizens’ behavior, which often isn’t purely rational."
Christian BasonInnovating With People: Unleashing the Potential of Civic Design
December 8, 2021
"Beliefs are habits of action; they are the rules that guide how we decide to act."
Dave GrayLiminal Thinking: Sense-making for systems in large organizations
May 14, 2015
"We really try to push the idea that you shouldn't pretend to be hard of hearing; just say sorry, I didn’t get that."
Greg NudelmanDesigning Conversational Interfaces
November 14, 2019
"Co-creation is highly actionable for teams and genuinely engaging for customers."
Dagmara KukawkaTiny team, moonshot impact: Democratizing research across continents
March 10, 2026
"Being a semiotician today is like reading everyday cultural signals to spot the bigger concepts behind user choices."
Soma Ghosh Savina Hawkins Dave Hoffer Rob Thomas Victor UdoewaWhat emerging methods are advancing UX research [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 28, 2023
"If we design for the margins, we get the middle for free."
Gabriela BarnevaOperationalizing Inclusive Design in Service Design
November 20, 2025
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
Why is it important for product teams to focus on questions rather than jumping straight to methods?
What are the consequences of lacking universal long-term care on intergenerational wealth?
How might cultural figures like Taylor Swift influence future movements demanding fair treatment of creators in AI?'