Lessons Learned in RIVA’s 201 Class that Translate to the Real World
This is a guest post written by Brittany Mohammed, MFA; Associate Project Coordinator at RIVA.
When students come to RIVA, they expect to learn all the tips and tricks that comprise the art and science of moderating. What they don’t expect is how those lessons can translate into their personal lives, outside of the qualitative industry.
If you’ve ever taken one of RIVA’s courses with any of the seasoned and veteran trainers, you will recall plenty of stories that illuminate the best practices they teach. Stories and examples come from both in and outside of the research environment, and this is where the golden lessons live.
In 2017, I took my first RIVA course: Fundamentals of Moderating, and since then have had the privilege of taking several others, as well as the advantage of listening to the trainings in my role as technical support. In the last four years, I’ve learned countless lessons that can be applied to my life outside of RIVA. In this post, I want to highlight the three key items I think anyone can take from RIVA’s classes and apply directly to not only to a career, but inside personal lives.
- The Emotional Handshake – In moderating, the emotional handshake takes place in the first ten minutes of a group, allowing the moderator to get to know the respondents and build rapport. What it does in real life is pretty similar – it creates a “trust bridge” with people that allows a safe space for people to speak. At RIVA, trainers associate this with the real-life handshake, but I want to take it a step further. Most people greet customer service workers, or anyone really, with a less than pleasant attitude, or with a simple “Hello,” but when you take the time to have a brief introduction, you’re much more likely to both walk away happy and satisfied with the results. Plus, it’s always nice to treat others with basic decency – like they, too, are humans and like the way you would like to be treated.
- Never Ask A “Why” Question – This is a classic take-away from RIVA classes and students take it to heart when they see that it is a poor probe for getting below top-of-mind thinking, both in research and in life. When I first heard this, and the advice to practice it in my personal life, I thought it couldn’t possibly be that big of a difference. But it changes how people answer so much! RIVA staff practice this with each other in the office, but even taking it to other situations [like with friends and family] has meant that I can get answers without making the people I care about feel that they have to defend their position. It means less arguing, less frustration, and a more open conversation.
- Active Listening – This goes hand in hand with “No Why” questions and allows for a much better conversation/dialogue between people. There’s a huge difference in listening to someone and listening for something. [You can see the previous post on active listening for tips.] When you allow yourself to really listen to someone, you have a better understanding of their experience rather than waiting for your turn to speak. You end up having a much fuller and deeper conversation with the people you care about. For researchers this is “money in the bank” for clients but for interpersonal experiences it deepens and enriches the links we have with others.
As I mentioned, I could write thousands of words talking about the many life lessons that I learned in my RIVA courses. These are just a few key ones that influenced me and it serves as an example of what trainers mean when they every RIVA class: “The information in this class goes way beyond qualitative research, there are applications here that are useful all across the spectrum of your life.”
Brittany Mohammed, MFA is the Associate Project Coordinator at RIVA Market Research and Training Institute. She is responsible for the preparation of administrative materials for courses and projects. Additionally, she manages the day to day logistics for each class, both in person and virtual.