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
"We didn’t have a clear definition of what Verizon customer experiences were or how they behaved, which led us to create experience principles."
Sarah WilliamsVerizon_A Framework for CX Transformation
January 8, 2024
"Real estate is like the Wild West. It’s very mature but also very unstructured and full of freedom."
Ashley SewallExit Interview #5: Designing My Life After Tech
February 19, 2026
"If anyone’s pay goes up, we move the whole pay scale so equity and fairness are maintained by the entire team."
Chelsea MauldinLet's Talk About Money
November 17, 2022
"Jargon is a barrier; I don’t even use the word UX with clients if I can help it."
Leah Buley Joe NatoliAsk Me Anything with Leah Buley and Joe Natoli, co-authors of The User Experience Team of One (2nd edition)
October 8, 2024
"Trying to map all possible connotations and context in language is mind-bogglingly computationally expensive."
Karen McGrane Jeff EatonAI for Information Architects: Are the robots coming for our jobs?
November 21, 2024
"Designing healthcare means thinking about how your city, state, and nation work."
Juhan SoninDesign Now! The Agenda for Action
September 4, 2025
"Visuals from DALL·E didn’t work well; I asked multiple times to remove cables but they still appeared."
Yulya Besplemennova[Demo] Stress-testing GenAI in user research synthesis
June 4, 2024
"It's really about finding a way to link all the different aspects to bring everything together to tell the story."
Charles Lee Jennie YipBuilding a New Home for the Atlassian Design System
October 22, 2020
"We shifted from an output mindset of how much work we do to an outcome mindset of the impact our work delivers."
Jen Cardello Jennifer OttoLearning Velocity—The Insights Speedometer
September 16, 2021