Taking Notes vs. Recording Interviews
I used to record every interview with my digital recorder (or tape-recorder in the old days) and then painstakingly transcribe it later, word for word. But a couple of years ago I was asked to do a...
View ArticleThe Wisdom of Groups
A group of individuals is collectively smarter than any single member, claims James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds. But not just any group will do. Smart groups are composed of a diverse...
View ArticleReverence in Qualitative Work
“Reverence is the virtue that keeps human beings from acting like gods.” —Paul Woodruff You may wonder what reverence has to do with research. Everything, really. Reverence, or the act of honoring the...
View ArticleRecording Focus Groups
Focus groups generate a large amount of irreplaceable data. Not knowing at the time of collection which pieces will prove most valuable, it’s essential to capture them all. In this era of technology,...
View ArticleBalancing Focus Group Discussions
“I can’t help wondering what we might have said if we hadn’t been stopped. Maybe we were just around the corner from something thrilling. Isn’t that the nature of a live conversation? It halts, it...
View Article10 Suggestions for Skillful Listening
Bill Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and Alan Greenspan are some of the highest paid public speakers in the United States. Toastmaster clubs groom thousands of aspiring thespians each year. And virtually...
View ArticleGreat Student Stories: Part 2
In my last blog, I described the power of stories to help organizations and programs measure outcomes. To assist the AmeriCorps Student Assistance Program in the Forest Grove school district round out...
View ArticleDr. Richard Krueger on Qualitative Listening
I thought if I really wanted to learn about listening during qualitative interviews I should go to an expert, someone who has been doing it and teaching it for several years. So I contacted Dr. Richard...
View ArticleManaging Emotions in Qualitative Interviews
When we conduct qualitative interviews, we potentially expose ourselves to people we don’t like, people that push our buttons, or people that behave badly in groups. We may also find ourselves...
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