QRCA Views

10 QRCA VIEWS FA LL 2 014 www.qrca.org T here are plenty of people in this world who do their job well and even a good number who actually enjoy what they do. But many of them struggle to find the value in their contributions. This is where we, as research- ers, are truly lucky in that we are uniquely positioned to make our world a bet- ter place. We've known and acknowledged our fortunate profession for some time. We get to engage with real people in their real places in life – we talk about food, dat- ing, diabetes…even their underwear! We get to see so much of the world beyond the bubble of our own experience. For that, most of us recognize that we should be grateful. Often, at the conclusion of interviews and in-home visits, participants offer me a goodbye hug. It feels like a natural farewell after they've shared a piece of their life with me – the things they rarely verbalize, the things they wouldn't necessarily tell their friends or admit to their family. I've seen the closets where they tuck their messes, I've watched them pour generic cereal into a branded cereal box, and I've listened as someone told me why her mother started coloring her hair at a young age. I assume that they hug me goodbye in part because I was a non-judgmental ear that listened to the naked truth, but I also believe they feel the connection I offer in being fully and completely present with them to hear their story. Earlier this year at the Worldwide Conference on Qualitative Research in Budapest, a running theme was the notion of giving back to participants, rather than just taking, taking, taking in our quest to learn. It felt right to me. I generally iden- tify myself as someone who loves people and I'm naturally curious about others, their preferences, motivations, and mantra for life. I enjoy learning how people do things and why they do them, but more recently I find myself pausing to ask, "What more could I give?" How can I offer a piece of myself in this partnership with peo- ple I've only just met, ultimately yielding more, better, authentic, and action-driven insights? The challenge is that we're so afraid of influencing the interview, that we don't share anything about ourselves – I'm sometimes careful not to disclose that I'm a mom or that I like to mountain bike, let alone why I shop where I do, or why I found myself changing my driving behavior when I switched to a more fuel-efficient vehicle! To be clear, we still must be strategic in what we share, but the idea is this – how can we ask people we've just met to tell us their raw truths when we don't come willing to offer anything of ourselves in the relationship? And this extends beyond the interactions I have with participants. In my various roles in QRCA, I have been surrounded by people who are willing to give, share, and bring the best of themselves to the table. As my year serving as President of QRCA comes to a close, I look back on the initiatives we've taken on and the prog- ress we're making to further promote excellence in the industry. The things we've done that have really moved the industry forward are propelled by amazing people who are giving of themselves. At a personal level, I've made a particular effort to seek out opportunities to invest in others, to reflect on the unique opportunity I have to engage with people in a variety of settings whom I may never have crossed paths with otherwise, and to put my talents to use in something important to my community. There are other QRCA members joining me on this mission to do our part and contribute to something beyond only the financial success of a brand. (Although that's important, too!) I hope we'll all take a look at our unique places in life and the people we connect with and see them as opportunities to contribute to something bigger. So go ahead and hug me at the end of a research interview or at a conference… because we have connected as two people, not simply as researcher and participant, or as researcher and client. Together, we've made the world more beautiful. MAKE YOUR WORLD BEAUTIFUL By Kendall Nash Burke Inc. Cincinnati, OH kendall.nash@burke.com n FROM THE PRESIDENT n

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