How do you collaborate and communicate with primary research participants and partners?

1 Define your scope and expectations

Before you start your primary research, you need to have a clear and realistic scope and expectations for your project. This means defining your research questions, methods, timeline, budget, and deliverables. You also need to communicate these elements to your research participants and partners, such as stakeholders, sponsors, or collaborators. By doing so, you can align your vision, avoid misunderstandings, and establish trust and accountability.

2 Recruit and screen your participants

One of the most important steps in primary research is recruiting and screening your participants. You want to find people who match your target criteria, are willing and able to participate, and can provide valuable and honest feedback. To achieve this, you need to use appropriate channels, incentives, and screening tools to reach out to potential participants. You also need to communicate clearly and respectfully with them, explaining the purpose, process, and benefits of your research, as well as the ethical and legal aspects, such as consent and confidentiality.

3 Prepare and conduct your research

Once you have your participants and partners on board, you need to prepare and conduct your research. Depending on your research method, this may involve designing surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, or other techniques. You need to ensure that your research tools are reliable, valid, and user-friendly, and that you follow the best practices for data collection and analysis. You also need to communicate effectively with your participants and partners during the research, providing instructions, guidance, support, and feedback.

4 Share and discuss your findings

After you have completed your research, you need to share and discuss your findings with your participants and partners. This means creating a data report that summarizes and interprets your results, highlights the key insights and implications, and provides recommendations and action steps. You need to use clear, concise, and engaging language, visuals, and formats to present your data report. You also need to communicate openly and constructively with your participants and partners, inviting them to ask questions, share opinions, and provide feedback.

5 Evaluate and improve your research

The final step in primary research is evaluating and improving your research. This means reflecting on your research process, outcomes, and impact, and identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges. You need to use various methods and metrics to measure and evaluate your research performance, quality, and value. You also need to communicate honestly and humbly with your participants and partners, acknowledging their contributions, expressing gratitude, and soliciting suggestions for improvement.