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How to make qualitative research work for you

You may have all the statistics – but what do the people behind them think and feel?


Top researcher reveals how to make qualitative research work for you - in just one day

Quantitative research gives you the figures – but unless you know what lies behind them, how can you be sure you’re doing the right thing for those you provide services to?

That’s where qualitative research comes in.

It reveals the people, their thoughts, their emotions and their stories. It is one of the most powerful strategic tools for understanding your service users and their communities. That is why it has enjoyed such vast growth over the last five years.

Depth interviews, focus groups and observation techniques all help you to give meaning, salience and context to people’s views and aspirations. You have to be careful, though, as this form of research can appear seductively easy. It’s not: and there are serious pitfalls to avoid if your qualitative research findings are to be credible and able to withstand the scrutiny of your colleagues and the public.

What makes this course particularly special is that it only covers the management of qualitative research projects, a topic rarely, if ever discussed in depth.

It isn’t a day of vague theory. But it is rigorous, yet easy to understand whether or not you are a researcher. You discover just about everything you need to know about the design, management and effective use of qualitative research. And you have the chance to get your questions answered about how to manage qualitative research effectively.

After one highly invigorating day you take back to your desk all you need to know about:

People who share your interest

You will find one great benefit of this course is meeting the other delegates, who come from all sectors and work at all levels. You enjoy a rare opportunity to share thoughts with postholders from local authorities, public health, social housing, the voluntary sector and government departments.

They all share an interest in qualitative research and the benefits it can bring, and many face much the same challenges as you. I’ll be surprised if you don’t pick up a few good ideas.

Your trainer

Liz Spencer Liz Spencer has over 30 years qualitative research experience and has used focus groups to explore many different social and policy issues.These include housing, health, consultation, poverty, training and qualifications and recycling issues. Liz combines a great depth of knowledge with a refreshingly practical approach.

What delegates say about this course and trainer

"I can safely say that the event was one of the best training courses I have ever attended. Everything about the day was excellent and very much customer focused. The venue was superb, very comfortable and easy to find, and the refreshments were all of a high standard.

"As for the seminar itself, it’s not often that you come away from a course these days feeling totally justified that the time and investment that you have made has been worthwhile, however on this occasion, I felt that the effort of a long day and a very early start was more than justified. The quality of the presentation material in itself was of a very high standard, and the input from Liz was outstanding. She really is an excellent speaker who had a lot of extremely useful information.

"I found the day to be very informative, and was impressed at the range of participants who attended the day.

"I am very glad that I came to the event. It was very well organised, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will have no hesitation in recommending your organisation to my colleagues, and I intend on coming to similar events in the future."
Patrick Cahoon, Public Engagement Manager, Southport & Formby Primary Care Trust

"Thank you! Enjoyed the day, good use of materials and shared knowledge and experience. Made ideas come alive and made me able to relate my activity to the day's content and areas covered."
Phil Hayden, Operations Manager, Sure Start Sunderland Thorney Close

 

What I picked up - and did - after this course

Mags Casey, Communications Manager, from the Youth Justice Trust found this course helpful in lots of ways. She says:

"Lots of ideas from the day have stayed with me:

  • the value of qualitative research, which I am now able to describe to potential clients in a clear way
  • the idea that quality and detail from 10 highly relevant people is of great importance (it's not always quantity that matters)
  • information which 'sticks out' as not being relevant is sometimes really important and should be included
  • qualitative research is time consuming and should be costed up as such

All of the above concepts have been helpful in recent evaluation work undertaken by the Trust, as well as helping to frame our work for the future and how we write our tenders for work."



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