I found a great post about ethnography on This Blog Sits at the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics which I always enjoy checking in on. Grant McCracken identifies some of the key success factors for an ethnographer:
- humility, empathy and patience
- the ability to draw a respondent in to the interview
- the ability to identify the best approach at any given moment (aka working well on the fly)
- the ability to "shift frame" to see the significance of what the respondent is saying; this reminds me of the point I am always making about how context can inspire customer insights
- the ability to follow up and drive the intellectual inquiry without losing your place or failing to be in the moment and listen
See, it's easy! Actually, it's not. You need a real head for this activity, as well as a lot of practice. Its challenging nature makes it (once mastered) a valuable skill, therefore worth pursuing.
Also, I find these skills are absolutely critical for planners even when not doing ethnography - particularly when inspiring teams to develop Big Ideas. These are great key principles for the planning craft, in my book.
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