Your Colleagues are Your Users Too
Summary
We empathize and deeply understand our products’ end users, but do we understand our colleagues and stakeholders to the same level, as they are users of our insights? In this session, we’ll discuss how changing our mindset and better understanding our colleagues can unlock a path to research acceleration.
Key Insights
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Distinguishing findings from insights is crucial; findings are observations, insights reveal motivations and consequences.
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Stakeholders are the end users of research outputs and their needs and beliefs shape how they receive information.
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People react to information that challenges their core beliefs as if facing a physical threat, causing defensive skepticism.
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Confirmation bias leads people to accept information that aligns with their beliefs and reject what conflicts.
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Sharing research insights requires tailored communication strategies based on the audience’s familiarity and role.
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Reports alone may not foster empathy or understanding; interactive and creative methods like workshops and storytelling work better.
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Knowing the desired outcome of sharing research (e.g., decision-making, empathy-building, buy-in) should guide how it’s presented.
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Conflict management skills are essential when presenting challenging research insights that may provoke strong reactions.
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Engagement with research outputs is often stronger when stakeholders are involved early and consistently throughout the project.
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Creative communication techniques such as persona exercises, highlight reels, and narrative storytelling improve retention and resonance.
Notable Quotes
"Findings are observations with a short shelf life, whereas insights get deep into the why and the consequences."
"Stakeholders are users too; the product we’re sharing is the research and learnings for their decision-making."
"We’re biologically wired to respond to intellectual challenges the same way as physical threats."
"We’re selectively skeptical—skeptical about some things but not others based on what we want to believe."
"If the scale delivers bad news, we jump on and off to check; if it delivers good news, we accept it quickly."
"Empathy doesn’t come from reading a report—you don’t get close to users by just reading data."
"Storytelling helps gain people’s attention, build empathy, and improve understanding and recall of key points."
"Not all learnings lead to crucial conversations, but big insights often do, requiring emotional awareness."
"We need to think about who we’re sharing with, how they might react, and what motivates them."
"Choosing the right output depends on the desired outcome—from quick iterations to gaining senior leadership buy-in."
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