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
"Netflix using AI-generated ads is a low-risk testbed but raises ethical questions - Lauren."
Bria Alexander Brittany Hobbs Christopher NoesselDay 1 Panel: Up to the Minute: The latest in AI’s impact on UX
June 10, 2025
"We have to create human-centered organizations where people thrive by trust and recognition, grow with influence, and want to make a difference."
Christian BasonInnovating With People: Unleashing the Potential of Civic Design
December 8, 2021
"It's all of our job to question why we’re doing what we’re doing and how we’re doing it."
Maria SkaadenPanel Discussion: Methodologies and Work Environments
November 8, 2018
"The QX score combines behavioral and attitudinal metrics to better understand what users do and why."
Dana Bishop2022: The Year UX Demonstrates its Business Impact
March 11, 2022
"Content strategy should be at the kickoff to determine the needed level of involvement early."
Natalie DunbarDesignOps and Content Strategy: Envisioning the Future Together
October 1, 2021
"If you have limited resources, start with a simple monadic test using low-cost survey tools."
Michaela MoraAdvanced Concept Testing Approaches To Guide Product Development and Business Decisions
March 11, 2022
"Capital One is really a bank ... it’s out to change banking for good by becoming a tech company that just happens to do banking."
Christian RohrerResearch Operations at Scale
November 7, 2017
"It was not some benevolent church group or a member of a Town Council that carved out these curb Cuts. They were due to deliberate actions and painstaking labor of members in the community."
Sha HwangThe First Fifty Years of Civic Design
November 16, 2022
"If rapid research findings create more questions but you don’t have time to address them, it’s probably not the right method."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program
May 18, 2023
