Close up of post it notes with brainstorming ideas and actions written on them for display

What We
Do At SocialQual...

Achieving more impact.

With empathy and evidence.

Here to support...

Your charity to reflect, learn and listen to your communities. Using qualitative insight to help you take action and have a more profound impact through:

Online Qualathon
Ethnography, narrative interviews & focus groups
Theory of change
Creative reporting
Action learning
Learning partnerships

And many more...

Emma stood up smiling next to her laptop in a navy jumpsuit.jpg

Online Qualathon

We’ve helped many charity partners to have brave and beautiful conversations with their teams, their communities and the people who matter to them. Doing it online, using bespoke software adds a richness and depth that isn’t always possible with more traditional qual methods.

So how does it work?

A community of stakeholders are invited to take part in a set of engaging activities and discussions a.k.a a Qualathon.
It is asynchronous – this means that they can participate at their convenience, at times of day that suit them and their busy schedules.
Engaging questions and tasks are posted each day and participants respond to questions using text, image or video.
Online Qualathons can be more inclusive for those who are introverted and/or like to express themselves in different ways beyond traditional verbal responses (as we traditionally use in interviews and focus groups). Online Qualathon allows respondents to use images, video, photography, mapping and the written word.
SocialQual can run a Qualathon with your community from start to finish – whether you want to consult with a community of 5 or 50, we’ve got you covered.

Ethnography, narrative interviews & focus groups

We recognise the traditional power dymanics that qualitative research can have. We are passionate about deep and immersive listening, ensuring that participants are in control of the process.

So how does it work?

We spend time with people in the places they hang out - we enter their world as we find it helps people to be more open and honest. We observe projects and services in action. Our ethnographic approach gives a richness and authenticity to our work.

In the spirit of placing communities as expert, we take a narrative approach to interviewing. This means that communities are in control of their narrative. We empower people to tell their stories in ways that are meaningful to them.

Emma facilitation a focus group and holding up post it notes to share with the group

Theory of Change

We value the process - this is often where the magic happens. Yes, we enjoy bringing your ideas to life through visualisation. But we also know how to ask the right questions, hold the space and provide the challenge where needed to get you closer to articulating your vision and intended impacts.

So how does it work?

We want to make sure that the right people are involved at the right stages of the process. Following a phase of discovery, we will craft a bespoke approach to facilitating a Theory of Change process. It will involve workshops, interviews, virtual whiteboards and lots and lots of post it notes!

Creative Reporting

Reports are great. But they are not where most people have those wonderful lightbulb moments. Often that happens in a workshop, while looking at some beautiful art or watching a short film. We believe that the most impactful evaluations make people feel something – who says evaluation needs to be dull?! If you want to test the boundaries of what an evaluation output looks, feels and sounds like, get in touch.

So how does it work?

We work with illustrators, designers and animators to bring our findings to life. We have a network of artists, many of whom have lived experiences of the issues we are working on. As part of our commitment to the sector (and our slight obsession with making data beautiful!) we often offer this service at a highly discounted or pro-bono rate.

Emma conducting a creative reporting session in a denim jumpsuit next to a gold frame that says improving outcomes for young people

Emma conducting a facilitation and learning session in a navy jumsuit looking at pink post it notes in her hand

Action Learning

Do you need more “aha moments”? Seeking inspiration from peers? Finding remote working a bit of a drag at times?

So how does it work?

Imagine… a safe and supportive space where you can share your challenges and soak in the wisdom of peers, all while sipping on a cup of warm, collaborative spirit. Think of it as peer coaching with a delightful side-helping of action planning and reflection.

Action Learning Sets are a place to do the work – have permission to step away from the emails and connect with others. A group of people helping you to solve workplace problems. You will come away with a set of realistic actions that will help you to understand and potentially solve issues you face.

Facilitated by Emma, ILM accredited to deliver action learning sets and trained with Action Learning Associates. Emma has 20+ years working in research and consultancy roles.

Find Out More

Learning Partnerships

We will help you to understand the ways in which people learn in your team or organisation. As an external partner we are interested in not only what you learn through evaluation and insight, but also HOW you learn.

So how does it work?

We will kick things off with deep listening - an audit of your learning culture’s strengths and weaknesses. We will whip up a programme encourages everyone to jump in and have their say, so we can make decisions that truly reflect the diverse voices and experiences of your team. Oh, and get ready for some well facilitated conversations to help you cut through the bull-shit. Our approach blends raw and honest dialogue, navigated with empathy.

Learning partnerships can be embedded into evaluation – going beyond collecting the data but also seeking opportunities to explore what the data means. We will roll up our sleeves and work with you to uncover some serious insights.