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’s the same thing with spreadsheets or work back plans; if you’re spending all your time on process and not the work, that’s too much overhead."
Jules MonzaUse These Words and Count These Things
September 25, 2024
"Marketers don’t try very interesting things when their confidence in data is low, which can create a downward spiraling reinforcing loop."
Sarah FlamionComplex Problem? Add Clarity by Combining Research and Systems Thinking
March 31, 2020
"Testing your book idea through workshops or talks gives a forcing function that helps prioritize content."
Louis RosenfeldCoffee with Lou: Should You Write a (UX) Book?
March 7, 2024
"Rapid research programs enable designers to submit research questions and feel empowered to participate actively in the research process."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program
May 18, 2023
"The metaverse has not summoned those angels; instead, it has brought in all the good and the bad from the real world."
Devon PowersImagining Better Futures
March 9, 2022
"Design systems teams are most effective when they focus on serving the components and processes needed at scale by many teams."
Dan Mall“Ask Me Anything” with Dan Mall, Author of Upcoming Rosenfeld Title, Design that Scales
October 2, 2023
"Designing services increasingly span these blurred lines between our digital and public worlds."
Sarah BrooksTheme Three Intro
November 18, 2022
"Meetings tell us what kind of conversations we are having and what kind of conversations we are not having."
Alla WeinbergHow to Build and Scale Team Safety
January 8, 2024
"The introvert’s edge is that they research, plan, and have a strategy for meaningful conversations."
Dave Hoffer Joanne WeaverUX Job Search AMA #2 with Joanne Weaver and Dave Hoffer
May 21, 2025
