Impact report but we should be thinking about other things, such as: are they a creative kind of person or a validating kind of person? Are people happy to interact via video or would they prefer to do a uick mobile survey The fact that community members are able to interact, bouncing off each other and stimulating each others comments, takes the dynamic into a more adult-to-adult exchange, adds Lawrence. A lot of research in the past has had that parentchild psychology behind it: I ask you a question and, because you think Im an important person, you give me an answer. ut that s a different dynamic from us ust chewing the fat as adults. It gets you to a different understanding of consumers lives. This more discursive approach not only uncovers fresh insights, says Dr Rutledge, but also allows us to make meaning out of things in a different way, which carries psychological benefits. Its why brainstorming with others is more effective than brainstorming by yourself because, when you say things out loud, you hear them differently it sparks a different set of ideas, and allows you to create new meaning and make sense out of things, she says. enerally speaking, it moves you forward in a positive direction, especially in times of stress. Its a great opportunity, because people are feeling vulnerable and in need of expression. Executive immersions side effect of social distancing restrictions has been that more of us are now much more comfortable talking to strangers and loved ones over video chat (Comscores data also revealed that Zoom added 12.3m users between January and April the highest growth in unique visitors across all online categories). This includes senior executives in client businesses, who not only have more time, but more desire to connect directly with customers. According to Lawrence, while InSites Consulting UK (as Join the Dots) had run occasional programmes connecting senior executives to customers, there has been an increased desire for this kind of approach in recent months. The interesting thing thats happened is that people are at home. I use the term people deliberately, because senior executives have become more like people, says awrence. They re not walking into their organisation and seeing the corporate sign above the door they re at home with their families. They have a better understanding of what everyone else is going through. When a senior executive talks over video chat with a customer, both are in their own home environment, and they are likely to be dressed casually, so the dynamic is again more of an adult-to-adult exchange. Sponsor Senior clients have also been more present in other types of community research. Lawrence explains that a recent digital workshop which would ordinarily have happened o ine had an audience of senior executives stay for the duration. In other circumstances, he would have expected to lose this audience at different points, to a meeting or a phone call. Theyre committing time to understanding customers in part because theyre becoming a bit more consumer-obsessed, but also because the distractions are a bit different, says awrence. Ed Herten, who runs the customer closeness proposition at C Space, agrees that there has been a massive shift in attitude towards customer closeness among senior executives. The thing that I saw right at the beginning [of Covid-19], and Ive been watching ever since, is that the demand for direct, immediate customer insight has been incredible, he says. Most of Hertens clients are now presenting customer updates to their executive team once a week, which would have been highly unusual just a few months ago. One thing weve been told by every single client is that the speed of decision-making has ust gone through the roof, he says. We slide back in a lot of things as a species, but we dont tend to slide back much when it comes to speed. Once we have got something fast, we dont like it slower. 28 Impact ISSUE 31 20_pp20-29_Report.indd 28 18/09/2020 11:39