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Program

QRCA 2022 San Diego Annual Conference Encore


Total Credits: 9

Average Rating:
   38
Speaker(s):
Casey Bernard |  Missy Carvin |  Chris Hauck |  Jeff Hecker |  Ted Kendall |  Alexia Raven, BA |  Maria Virobik |  Jay Zaltzman |  Giselle Bowie |  Erin Sowell |  Katja Cahoon |  Emelia Rallapalli
Duration:
10 Sessions
Original Program Date:
May 16, 2022


Overview

QRCA 2022 San Diego Annual Conference session bundle available on demand!

Cost:

Free for Attendees
$15 for Members
$30 for Non-Members

Monday Breakout Sessions | 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. PST

The Lens of Virtue: How Morality Shapes Our Perceptions and Choices

Duration: 48:27 Minutes
Speaker: Tom Rich

We live in an increasingly divided world, unable to find common ground on seemingly the simplest issues. Our conversations are fraught with tension and conflict. This presents an urgent challenge to qualitative researchers, as conversation is our stock-in-trade. At the root of this division lies morality-- our sense of right and wrong. Morality is always present in our thought processes, always influencing how we see things and the decisions we make. Similarly, morality is a constant in the conversations we have with research participants. While it often lurks just beneath the surface, it is a powerful driver of consumers' thoughts and behaviors. Understanding underlying moral values can help qualitative researchers understand the "why" behind what consumers think and do, even when their thoughts and actions run counter to our own values. This presentation will provide attendees with a variety of frameworks for understanding moral judgments, as well as practical advice and case studies illustrating how to apply them to research design, execution and analysis.
 

Gen A To Z - From Crisis To Opportunity

Duration: 29:49 Minutes
Speaker: Alexia Raven BA, Giselle Bowie

It's never been more important for brands to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 and its implications for entertainment needs and behaviors to come. This study focuses on the universal truths but confronts the profound changes in family's everyday lives across the globe during this time of unprecedented disruption.

 

Connecting Generations: Sparking Connection, Understanding, and Empathy in the Workplace

Duration: 47:39 Minutes
Speakers: Chris Hauck , Erin Sowell

Our experiences at work affect our overall well-being and life satisfaction. Negative work experiences can spill over and negatively affect our personal lives, while positive experiences are supportive of our well-being and life satisfaction. Positive work experiences can be cultivated through connection, understanding, and empathy, but unfortunately, our differences can challenge our ability to connect, understand, and empathize with one another. Age is often a key difference between coworkers, and since each generation has its own point of view and culture, the potential for misunderstanding and disconnection increases when different generations work together.

In this session, the presenters will share the results from their mixed-methods study that uncovers how the generations perceive each other at work. They will share findings about each generation's experience at work and teach concepts and strategies that promote connection, respect, and inclusion.

 

Tuesday AM Breakout Sessions | 11:00 a.m. – Noon PST

Using the World Café Model to Elicit Large-Scale Stakeholder Reactions

Duration: 19:41 Minutes
Speakers: Missy Carvin

This workshop will be part case-study, part experiential learning, and part conversation. We will take a look at how the World Café conversational model was successfully used to bring a wide-ranging audience composed of students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members together and inform strategic changes for a school district.

During this session, you will learn about what the World Café methodology is (and isn't), best practices for setting up a World Café and writing World Café questions. You'll find out how that school district's strategic initiatives were informed and enhanced by the World Café. We will discuss data output and analysis, and you will have time to practice crafting your own World Café question and participate in discussion with your colleagues.

 

Digital Stickies: Virtual Whiteboards for Analysis and Reporting

Duration: 34:27 Minutes
Speaker: Casey Bernard

In 2020 many of us tried to find new ways to collaborate with clients and participants using virtual whiteboards and sharing tools such as Miro, Mural, Stormboard and more. While we tried to recreate the backroom and focus group experience online, we made an exciting discovery - many of these online collaboration tools can help with not only presenting stimuli, but they can also be great tools for capturing data, working through analysis and creating visuals for reports.

In this 60 minute workshop, we will demonstrate different ways to use Miro for streamlining the back end of your projects with data collection and visualization. If you analyze data from focus groups, IDIs or online asynchronus studies there is something for you in this presentation.

 

Re-Imagine Your Discussion Guides

Duration: 38:18 Minutes
Speaker: Jay Zaltzman

Are you new – or newish – to qualitative research and unsure if you're creating the best discussion guides possible? Then this session is for you! A great discussion guide is what separates professional QRCs from non-professionals and is the basis for a successful research project.

During this session, we'll discuss how to get started on your guide as well as pitfalls to watch out for. We'll talk about the most effective introductions, the right order for your guide, the most effective ways to include projective techniques and more! And we'll work on a sample focus group discussion guide as a concrete example.

 

Tuesday PM Breakout Sessions | 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. PST

Science Fiction, Double Feature! Out of This World Perspectives on Research Practice

Duration: 45:35 Minutes
Speaker: Ted Kendall, Jeff Hecker

Enjoy two presentations that offer perspectives on qual from outside the qual world.

What Can Magicians Teach Us About How Consumers Think? (Jeff) Fields like neuroscience, behavioral economics, and semiotics offer us perspectives on how consumers think. But what about the field of magic? For millennia, magicians have been puzzling out attention, perception, and cognition. How do humans process sensory data into reality, and how can assumptions, mental shortcuts, and the fickleness of memory be manipulated to seemingly bend or break reality? This session – delivered by a lifelong student of magic – explores what the magical arts can teach us about how consumers think, and the practical implications for our research designs. So the next time you need to "pull a rabbit out of a hat" on a study, you'll have an extra trick up your sleeve!

Shifting Your Consumer Perspective (Ted) A couple years ago, as a researcher, I thought I was the bridge for my clients to understand their consumers. Then I got a job working the night shift at a hotel. Embedded myself on the front line, and shoved into a different role as a consumer, my perspective and understanding of a large segment of consumers shifted dramatically. I will share the lessons learned that have helped me become a better researcher and moderator, gain a different perspective on the consumer experience, and become a more empathetic person.

 

Embrace the Electrode! Enriching Qualitative Insights with Biometrics

Duration: 29:34 Minutes
Speaker: Maria Virobik , Tom Rich

Researchers use many tools to uncover what consumers really think: asking the same question in different ways, hiding real questions inside decoy questions, using projective techniques. But even the most expert questioning can't always reveal the entire story.

By utilizing biometric measurements like eye movements, micro-expressions and skin response alongside traditional qualitative discussion, researchers can get at more of the truth than ever before. Biometric data often confirms what participants say, but sometimes it can tell an entirely different story. Incorporating biometrics can enable qualitative researchers to reveal game-changing insights that can't be discovered through discussion alone.

This session will discuss the "what," "why," "how" and "now what?" of incorporating biometrics into qualitative research, presented by a former side-eyeing naysayer-turned biometrics believer and advocate. Topics include an overview of biometric measurements, a discussion of the studies best suited for biometrics, guidelines for recruiting the right participants, and finally, to how to analyze and weave biometric data into a compelling qualitative story that will resonate with stakeholders.

 

Wednesday PM Breakout Sessions | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PST

Reimagining Ourselves: Toward A More Balanced, Integrated Self

Duration: 45:44 Minutes
Speaker: Katja Cahoon

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. This is true for qualitative researchers, who often work on difficult topics, while managing deadlines, clients, vendors, and a variety of stressors. The political climate, social issues, and the pandemic have added another layer. As a result, many qualitative researchers experience burnout, compassion fatigue, and mental health challenges, as well as difficult emotions, especially frustration, anger, impatience, and others.

Yet, you have to show up with compassion and care! Unlike mental health providers, qualitative researchers are usually not trained to deal with compassion fatigue and related states, which can lead to more frustration. This interactive presentation will create awareness, provide insight and information, and introduce a variety of tools and skills working with body and mind to help you create a more integrated, balanced self.

 

Growing Grey-cefully: Embracing Risk As We Age

Duration: 45:44 Minutes
Speaker: Emelia Rallapalli

As researchers, our job is to help clients grow, reimagine futures, and be poised for success.

Yet, the presenter has found herself swimming in questions around how to guide her “success” and growth, especially at this stage (and age) in her life. We have a lot on our plates – kids, aging parents, managing careers and businesses in various stages of flux, and we’ve all just survived a “once in a lifetime” pandemic.

This interactive talk will be an exploration of how we can use mindset, illustrated through anecdotes about where the presenter has embraced a growth mindset in some parts of her life, and where she's resisted it in others.

Speaker


Missy Carvin's Profile

Missy Carvin Related Seminars and Products

President

Creative Education Foundation


Missy Carvin is the Manager of Programs and Sales at the Creative Education Foundation. She is also the President of New Directions Consulting, a full-service market research and innovation solutions supplier. Missy is a seasoned Creative Problem Solving facilitator and trainer who has worked across sectors and industries, and who is a key strategic partner in developing the Creative Education Foundation’s youth programs and leadership development programs and activities. Missy represents the 2nd Generation of Creative Problem Solving Institute Leaders, who integrate CPS strategies in her family.

Missy is a frequent speaker at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), Florida Creativity Conference (FCC), MindCamp (Canada’s Creativity Conference) and the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) annual conference. She has worked in the past for two other not-for-profits: Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson and Historic Hudson Valley, and is an active Girl Scout participant in Orlando, FL. Missy applies her strengths of Activator, Woo, Communication, Strategy, and Positivity to her approach to business, parenting, and life in general. 


Chris Hauck's Profile

Chris Hauck Related Seminars and Products

Owner

HauckEye LLC


For over 35 years, Chris Hauck has honed his research skills across many categories, including telecom, IT, medical products, hospitality, and consulting. Chris opened HauckEye in 2020, dedicated to experiential research based on observing consumers in real environments.  

Chris has been involved in QRCA conference planning and speaker selection for the last several years, including serving as co-chair of both the 2024 QRCA Conference in Denver and the 2025 QRCA Conference in Philadelphia. 

Chris has an MBA from Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX, and lives in Colorado.  


Jeff Hecker's Profile

Jeff Hecker Related Seminars and Products

Principal

Athena Brand Wisdom


Ted Kendall's Profile

Ted Kendall Related Seminars and Products

Consumer Insights Senior Manager

Cricut


 
Ted Kendall started his research career on the client side in the technology world--working for Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, and then permutations of US West. In 1997, he conducted a bulletin board research discussion--arguable the first (though that honor may go to Jeff Walkowski by just days or hours). He co-founded QualTalk which became Qualboards (now with Schlesinger). Realizing I missed doing research, he left to form my own gig--TripleScoop Premium Market Research. In the last few months he joined Cricut's Consumer Insights team. Cricut makes electronic cutting machines and other tools and accessories used to make arts and crafts. For fun, he reads voraciously, love a good streaming series, runs, and is a big baseball fan--both games and history.


Alexia Raven, BA's Profile

Alexia Raven, BA Related Seminars and Products

VP, Consumer Insights/FanLab

Warner Bros.


 
Alexia leads the Consumer Insights/FanLab team which provides Warner Bros. with insights important to the development of content, product, talent, marketing and distribution strategies across broadcast, syndication, cable and digital platforms. Insights into the “hearts, minds, and motives” of fans and consumers through both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is critical to help inform business decisions.    In her role as VP, Alexia identifies key insights for brands such as DC Entertainment, Ellen, TMZ, The Real, and various other Warner Bros. IP. She spearheads global  generational research that identifies potential business implications for content development, distribution and marketing strategies. Alexia is also an experienced Focus Group moderator and leads discussions and ideation sessions with all age levels of consumer segments, gauging their reactions to new and existing content, digital platforms, and exploring their overall media consumption habits.    Alexia is a major proponent of empowering young professionals. During her time at WB, she has led the Internship program in her department that has received various accolades from the company. "Providing rich opportunities for young minds to learn, share and express ideas, and grow and develop is an essential part of my leadership philosophy.”


Maria Virobik's Profile

Maria Virobik Related Seminars and Products

Owner

ResearchScribe


Maria Virobik is a seasoned qualitative market researcher with more than 25 years of experience in analysis and report writing. She has worked with clients in a wide range of categories, including automotive, packaged goods, pharma and technology. Maria enjoys tackling qualitative data to find the story and collaborating with moderators to deliver sparkling insights to their clients. She joined QRCA in 2017 and co-founded the Reporting & Analysis SIG a year later. She is also a member of the 2023-24 QRCA Board. Originally hailing from Southern California, Maria and her husband now live in Santa Fe, NM with their marginally obedient French Bulldog, Ruby.


Jay Zaltzman's Profile

Jay Zaltzman Related Seminars and Products

President

Bureau West: Helping Companies Grow


Jay Zaltzman believes that qualitative researchers can offer true value to clients by combining empathy with creative methodology and analytical rigor.  Jay has been president of Bureau West Market Research for the past twenty years.  He is an active member and past president of the QRCA.


Giselle Bowie Related Seminars and Products

Warner Bros.


Giselle is part of the WarnerMedia/Warner Bros. Global Research Insights & Analytics FANLab research team focusing on Cultural Insights. She has been at Warner Bros. for 5 years and along with Cultural Insights, has worked on WB Global Brands & Franchises supporting Consumer Products, the Harry Potter global brand, Themed Experiences and Studio Tours Marketing. Prior to coming to Warner Bros., she honed her 15+ year research career in consumer packaged goods, working on brand development and innovation research at Kellogg’s, Mattel, and 3M.


Erin Sowell's Profile

Erin Sowell Related Seminars and Products

Thoughtful Research


 
My name is Erin Sowell, and I am a marketing researcher and innovation consultant based in Atlanta, GA. I founded Thoughtful Research to help businesses better understand and meet the needs of their customers and employees.    I believe that long-term business success is dependent on a business’s ability to form strong connections with their customers and employees. Strong connections with customers can lead to increased loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing, while strong connections with employees can lead to decreased turn-over and increased productivity and job satisfaction.     A business’s connection with its customers and employees is only as strong as the business’s ability to understand, anticipate, and meet the functional and emotional needs of their customers and employees. That's where Thoughtful Research comes in!


Katja Cahoon's Profile

Katja Cahoon Related Seminars and Products


 
Katja Cahoon, LCSW, MBA is a psychotherapist with a previous career in qualitative market research. Her passion in life is to empower others to grow, change, and find meaning and joy. After a successful career in market research focused on understanding why people do what they do, including corporate, consulting, and entrepreneurship, she decided to utilize this learning and understanding to help people feel and perform better. She trained as a psychotherapist and works mainly with executives and other highly accomplished professionals in Silicon Valley, CA. She helps clients with stress, burn-out, anxiety, depression, and how the past impacts how they feel and act today. Katja is also a certified yoga teacher (RYT-200), meditation teacher, and sports nutrition coach. Katja has taught at Williams James College, Stephen's College, spoken at conferences like IIEX, ESOMAR, Insights Association, and has trained companies all over the world. She has been featured on podcasts and panels. 


Emelia Rallapalli's Profile

Emelia Rallapalli Related Seminars and Products

Founder & Principal

Pebble Strategy, Inc.


 

Emelia Rallapalli is the founder of Pebble Strategy, a research consultancy based in San Francisco. She helps marketing, advertising, and design executives build strong brands through custom-designed market research programs and brand strategy consulting services. 

| Twitter @ERallapalli | Medium @emelia