Masterclass: Sensitive and Challenging Qualitative Interviews

Description:

Overview

This online Masterclass provides you with an insight into the design and practice of advanced qualitative interviews. These can include, for example, interviews on sensitive topics, interviews involving distress, interviews with vulnerable participants, or interviews when it is difficult to build rapport. Crucially, the training provides participants with hand-on strategies, guidance and reflections on how to manage these situations as interviewer and build confidence in doing so. It provides participants with an understanding of how vulnerability, distress, sensitivities, and risk are assessed in qualitative interviewing and the importance of being able to respond to these, if, and when, necessary.

The training provides guidance on, for example: defining and identifying vulnerability, distress and risk, sensitive and therapeutic interviews, the importance of empathy, the interview dynamic, boundaries and reciprocity, researcher reflexivity, identifying and responding to distress, and distress protocols. It also introduces types of participation and strategies for dealing with this (i.e. interviewees who are difficult to create rapport with or to involve in the interview).

Participants will view examples of different interviewing styles and respond to various mock 'challenging interview' scenarios with their peers, in order to gain insight into the dynamics of challenging interviews and build confidence in their use of different strategies.

The Masterclass is delivered on Zoom and includes a combination of presentations, discussions and practical activities. It is designed to equip participants to confidently conduct challenging interviews with vulnerable or difficult participants and on sensitive topics in applied research projects across a range of settings. By the end of the Masterclass, participants will be able to design and conduct challenging interviews and will have built their confidence in this space.

 

What do we cover?

· Defining and understanding distress, vulnerability, sensitivties, and risk

· Sensitive and empathic interviewing

· Identifying and responding to distress

· Reflexivity in qualitative interviewing

· Strategies including rapport and reciprocity / boundaries / active listening / the power of silence

· Examples of interviews with vulnerable participants and on sensitive topics

· Ethical considerations and guidelines

· Examples of challenging interviews and reflecting on different scenarios with peers and trainer.

 

Who should attend and who will benefit from this Masterclass?

This course will benefit participants who wish to advance their knowledge of qualitative interviewing methods by exploring the intricacies, sensitivities, practical, and ethical considerations in conducting challenging interviews with vulnerable groups and/or different forms of participation in a range of applied and policy settings. Prior knowledge of qualitative methods is essential.

The training is beneficial for students including PGRs, academics and professional researchers. It is relevant for researchers who design and/or conduct qualitative interviews in government, policy, consultancy, social research organisations or charities.

Please note: this is an interactive live course with presentations, group activities, discussions and opportunities to ask questions. It takes place on Zoom.

 

What is included?

- 4 hours of live training on Zoom with Dr Karen Lumsden who has over 22 years experience in qualitative research and analysis, and in the design and delivery of qualitative research programmes, masterclasses, courses and workshops.

- Group discussions, practical interview scenario exercise, and opportunities to ask the trainer questions.

- Access to resources including, for example: agenda, slides, resource list, and examples.

- Recording of the masterclass (accessible for 30 days).

- Certificate of attendance (for those attending the live training).

 

Trainer biography

Dr Karen Lumsden is an expert qualitative trainer, consultant, coach and mentor. She has held a number of academic posts, including most recently, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, UK. She was previously Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Leicester, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, and Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Loughborough University.

She has over 22 years’ experience delivering qualitative methods courses and training to academics, PhD students, social researchers, and practitioners. During this time she has designed and delivered 100s of courses and workshops to 1000s of researchers. She has worked with universities including: Aberdeen, Glasgow, Essex, Kings College London, Royal Holloway, Kingston, Cardiff, York, and Bournemouth. She has delivered training for the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She regularly delivers a range of qualitative methods courses via the Social Research Association, and delivers Focus Groups training for the European Consortium for Political Research. She has designed and delivered bespoke training for local authorities, government departments (including DWP), ONS, NHS, charities, police organisations, and social and market research organisations.

Karen has also written and edited a number of books and journal articles on qualitative methods including Crafting Autoethnography (Routledge, 2023) and Reflexivity: Theory, Method, Practice (2019). She was on the Editorial Boards of Sociology and Qualitative Research and Chair of the Editorial Board of Sociological Research Online.

She is founder of the Women in Qual Community: www.linkedin.com/women-in-qual

For more information visit: www.qualitativetraining.com

Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karen-lumsden

Or subscribe to the Qualitative Training newsletter to receive news and upcoming course dates: https://tinyurl.com/znw6kjj2

 

Bookings, invoicing, and ticket rates

Bookings for this course should be made via Eventbrite online ticketing.

If organisations require Invoice payment, this is billed at the professional researcher & organisational rate.

I also only accept invoice payment when supplier approval and payment terms are confirmed in writing prior to the training date. Email us with any queries about invoice payment: karen@qualitativetraining.com

Charities and small non-profits — get in touch, I hold a limited number of places at the student, PGR and unwaged rate which provides a discount on the organisatonal rate.

Booking for a large group of researchers, staff or students? - It might be more cost effective to organise in-house training for your team. Get in touch to discuss further.

 

Refund policy

There is a 14 day 'cooling off' period from the date of booking on this course (unless it is less than 7 days before the event date). The refund policy is 100% refund up to 7 days prior to the course date. Less than 7 days before the course date, the entire fee is payable.

If the course is fully booked and has a waiting list then transfer to another course or future course date might be possible, however this is at the discretion of the trainer. You can transfer your booking to another person within your organisation, at no additional cost.

Please note that Dr Karen Lumsden delivers a range of courses for other training providers in addition to these Qualitative Training courses. She takes no responsibility or liability for individuals booking on similar courses or training with other providers which may contain similar or the same course content. Refunds will not be given under these circumstances once the training has been partly/fully consumed.

Cost:

Discounted rate for students, independent researchers, and charities = £190.00 (VAT inclusive)

Full rate for professional researchers and organisations = £230.00 (VAT inclusive)

Note: when booking at the discounted rate proof of status may be requested by event organiser.

Website and registration:

Register for this course

Region:

International

Keywords:

Data Collection, Participant Recruitment, Hard to reach populations, Excluded/marginalised populations, Qualitative Interviewing, Qualitative interview design, Face-to-face qualitative interviewing, Qualitative telephone/video call interviewing, Email/online qualitative interviews, Unstructured interviews, Semi-structured interviews, Structured interviews, Data Collection (other), Qualitative Approaches (other), Research Management and Impact, Confidentiality and Anonymity, Research Ethics, Research Management and Impact (other), sensitive, sensitivities, interviewer, interview skills, vulnerable, vulnerabilities, risk, challenges, emotions, distress, interview scenarios, wellbeing, rapport, rapport-building, power, reflexivity, reflective, positionality, empathy, empathic, support

Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:

Data Collection
Participant Recruitment
Hard to reach populations
Excluded/marginalised populations
Qualitative Interviewing
Qualitative interview design
Face-to-face qualitative interviewing
Qualitative telephone/video call interviewing
Email/online qualitative interviews
Unstructured interviews
Semi-structured interviews
Structured interviews
Data Collection (other)
Qualitative Approaches (other)
Research Management and Impact
Confidentiality and Anonymity
Research Ethics
Research Management and Impact (other)

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