CHAMPIONING HUMAN STORIES

Trust takes time to build. But when you're a qualitative researcher, like Susan (Rubenstein) Collin , you're not always afforded the luxury of time. You have to jumpstart and fast track the trust process with interviewees; people with whom you'll only have a fleeting relationship. Hers is one of those jobs where you constantly have to flex your empathy muscles to build connection fast; to understand others' world and, at times, even inhabit it; to escape your egocentric bias in order to hear others' truths and let the Truth emerge from your research. During our conversation Sue walked us through how she accomplishes this seemingly impossible feat and what she's learned about people in the process. Susan Collin, spends a lot of time thinking about people-- whether it's personal, business or the fleeting relationships she has with participants for qualitative research during in-depth interviews and focus groups. After many years doing quantitative research at her company RTi Research, she switched to the qualitative side and now serves as the Senior Vice President, Director of Qualitative Services. While most people either identify as left or right brain, she is highly analytical and fluent in people. It's a rare, and powerful, combination. Her left and right brain synergy was evident during our conversation.

Empathy-Led EP09/S2

To learn more about Susan Collin https://www.linkedin.com/in/susancollin/ To learn more about RTi Research https://rtiresearch.com/