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FAQ about organizing a #researcherskills workshop

This page will be updated as we receive more questions / iterate on the details.

Register here if you're interested in hosting a workshop in your city.

What is the role of the organizer?

The primary role is that of a host, creating a safe space and structure for peers to reflect and exchange about our work and growth as research professionals.

There’s some content that you’ll be putting on the table to anchor the discussions, which will be covered in the workshop deck and briefing calls. Your participants will see you as speaking for the ResearchOps community - please familiarize yourself with the community guidelines as well as being prepared to answer questions about the community.

Should I have a team to organize this?

It definitely helps to have someone to share the logistics work of organizing a workshop. If you’re planning to have more than 8-10 attendees, having a co-facilitator is a great idea.

Ask in ResearchOps Slack #2019-wkshp-organizers if you need help finding a co-organizer.

How can I get more familiar with the material?

We’ll go over it in the briefing calls, and happy to continue the exchange in Slack.

What's the optimal size for this workshop?

Anywhere between 6-24 people. We’re anticipating that most groups will be around 8-12.

Note that more is not better, and it’s not just about the number of attendees. Also consider how you can attract participants from across the experience/seniority spectrum.

What does success look like for this workshop?

Ultimately, these workshops are a success if that we're able to foster great conversations, meaningful reflection, and growth of the practice for everyone involved.

Here's how we see the 3-way value exchange:

  • Participants get to see their work in new ways, reflect and discuss with other researchers they may never otherwise meet
  • Organizers get to bring together the local community, gain a nuanced perspective on the work, and help research grow in their city
  • The ResearchOps Community gets an interesting look at challenges and skills-in-use for researchers all over—and will publish the data to be open for everyone

How can I find participants?

We recommend starting with your immediate network, then taking a snowball recruiting method. Hopefully the #researcherskills word will spread as more cities come onboard, too!

Is it open to UX designers, too?

We recommend gathering mostly folks who identify with research as their primary job, with a couple of PWDR/PWDDR in the mix. So yes, but research should be a substantial part of their work, and they shouldn’t be the majority in the room.

What do I need to prepare?

  • A suitable venue, ideally with a projector/screen set-up for the deck
  • Make sure you can occupy that space for ~3 hours
  • Print a worksheet packet for each attendee ahead of time
  • Have some scrap paper on hand / ask attendees to bring notebooks
  • Have extra sharpies / pens for participants just in case
  • Have a notebook / textfile handy so you can jot down thoughts about workshop flow, areas you get “stuck,” points that go really well, questions that come up
  • Optional: Food and drinks