Tools to help capture those missed coaching opportunities
Qualitative researchers already have many of the listening and questioning skills required for coaching and mentoring. And as there is so much learning on the job, its easy to get a bit more people development by including short conversations about skills and process, during actual projects.
Here are some tools to help make those conversations productive.
1. Basic eliciting skills feedback sheet – if you are watching someone do a depth interview you can use this as a format to give them feedback on their eliciting skills style. (Not suitable for more advanced researchers who can break the rules and get away with it!) Its harder to produce a pro-forma for groups, although there is the general observers guide below, but you might want to be aware of Common Mistakes in Moderating.
2. Observers Guide for Interviews and Group Discussions. This allows feedback to be given on a range of aspects of interviewing or moderating and is quite open-ended.
3. BRACKETING – a process to help minimise the biases of the researcher /moderator. Just one page of important questions to ask yourself so you can (surface, bracket / set aside) those prejudices before starting the research. Should be compulsory for professional researchers in the same way as supervision is for therapists.
4. Learn to give and receive feedback. Take 5 minutes after meetings, groups, and projects to share feedback with each other. How to give and receive feedback
5. And if you are having problems with people working together well, here is a simple exercise they can do to learn more about how they could help each other. On the job co-operation exercise
More formal coaching
If you make the time for more formal coaching sessions you can obtain great benefits in people and skills development. One of the easiest coaching systems to use is Solution focused coaching. It emphasises the positive – what things people are already doing well and how to do more of it.
A Simple Guide to Solution Focused Coaching covers: what is coaching, how to set up a coaching contract and how to use Solution focused coaching. It even includes a one page questionnaire for the coachee to fill in at the start. If, rather than the problem solution approach, you would prefer to present the coaching as a professional development opportunity, use this for the coachee: Professional development coaching initial questions
Self-assessment
If you just want to see what is available, and what you might want or need to know about, here is a One page overview of QMR Training. Its very much a best guess, so if you disagree, tell me.
There is no widely agreed competency framework so here are a couple to choose from:
1. A competency framework with a self-assessment questionnaire. Any feedback on this would be appreciated. Competencies for Effective Qualitative Research
2. The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (US) has a broader list of professional competencies, which give an indication of what to expect at different levels. Although this is a draft version it is more detailed than anything that can be currently found on their website, and it has a self-assessment element. QRCA Standards Self Assessment
Also from the QRCA, Why Should I use a Professional Moderator gives an interesting narrative description of the skills a professional brings to the role.
Finally, as long ago as 1999, James Cowley wrote a paper called Strategic Qualitative Focus Group Research- Define and Articulate our Skills or we will be Replaced by Others It offers a good description of the training requirements and a taxonomy of skills, and I leave you with the Unwritten Contract, from James’ paper, about client expectations from qualitative research services.
