Navigating Lived Experiences Part 2 – Tools for Engaging with the Lived Experiences of Others
Linh Bui
Engaging Those with Lived Experience
When engaging with individuals who have lived experiences, researchers must approach conversations with care, humility, preparedness, and a strong commitment to consent. These elements are critical to ethical research and ensure that engagement is not extractive or harmful.
Care: Researchers should prioritize the well-being of participants by creating safe spaces for sharing. This includes allowing individuals to decide how and when they want to participate and providing different options for engagement, such as in-person interviews, phone calls, or written responses.
Humility: Entering a conversation as a learner rather than an expert allows for genuine engagement. Researchers should avoid assuming they know what is best and should be open to perspectives that challenge their existing views.
Be Prepared: Conduct background research before engaging with participants. This prevents asking redundant or insensitive questions and shows respect for their time and knowledge.
Consent: Consent is not a one-time agreement; it should be ongoing throughout the research process. Researchers must ensure that participants fully understand how their information will be used and give them the ability to withdraw or modify their contributions at any time.
The Role of History in Systems Research
Systems do not emerge in isolation—they are shaped by historical events, policies, social movements, and cultural shifts. To truly understand a system, researchers must analyze the historical context that has influenced its current state.
Applying This Insight to Research:
Trace the origins of the system or challenge you are studying. Identify key policies, societal changes, or historical moments that have shaped it.
Engage with historical documents, oral histories, and archival research to understand how power dynamics have evolved over time.
Recognize the impact of past injustices—such as colonialism, discrimination, or systemic exclusion—and how they continue to shape present-day challenges.
Acknowledge that history is not neutral—the way history is recorded often reflects dominant narratives. Seek out multiple perspectives, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Honoring Community-Led Action
Communities impacted by systemic challenges are not passive recipients of change—they are often active agents in creating solutions. Researchers should make a deliberate effort to acknowledge and elevate community-led efforts rather than focusing solely on external interventions.
Applying This Insight to Research:
Expand your sources: Academic journals may not capture grassroots efforts. Look at community reports, local initiatives, and storytelling platforms.
Recognize informal knowledge-sharing: Many solutions exist outside of formal institutions. Community organizing, advocacy, and lived-experience expertise hold valuable insights.
Engage with those leading the work: Instead of studying communities from a distance, involve them in shaping the research process and outcomes.
Amplify rather than extract: Ensure that the knowledge shared by community members is credited, valued, and reinvested into the communities themselves.
The 4Rs of Ethical Research (Indigenous Research Framework)
This framework provides guiding principles for ethical engagement in research:
Respect: Honor the knowledge, traditions, and perspectives of those you engage with. Create research processes that respect Indigenous sovereignty and knowledge-sharing protocols.
Relevance: Ensure that research addresses community needs and priorities, rather than imposing external research agendas.
Reciprocity: Establish mutual benefit by sharing findings with those who contributed to the research and seeking ways to give back.
Responsibility: Be accountable for the impact of your research. Ensure that findings do not reinforce harm and actively work toward ethical knowledge-sharing practices.
Practical Steps for Applying These Tools in Research
Begin with Reflexivity: Use the Positionality Tool at the start of your research to reflect on your identity, biases, and the perspectives you may be missing.
Identify Power and Gaps: Use the Wheel of Power and Privilege to map your position in the system. Ask yourself: Who holds power? Who is excluded?
Expand Knowledge Sources: Go beyond academic literature. Seek out insights from storytelling, historical contexts, and community-led initiatives.
Embrace Research as an Evolving Process: Systems research should be dynamic, adapting as new insights emerge rather than following a rigid structure.
Prioritize Ethical Engagement: Research should honor and respect lived experiences, ensuring that communities benefit rather than being studied from a distance.
Caring for Yourself & Your Team
Systems research can be emotionally taxing, especially for those with lived experience.
Take breaks, check in with teammates, and set healthy boundaries to prevent burnout.
Remember: You are not responsible for solving the world’s problems overnight—research is a long-term journey.
Practical Research Questions Addressed
Advice on Cold-Calling People for Interviews
Start with your network: Many researchers assume they have no connections, but asking professors, colleagues, or past interviewees for introductions can be more effective than cold outreach.
Be transparent and concise: Introduce yourself, explain why you're reaching out, and make a clear request for a short conversation (e.g., 15-20 minutes).
Offer flexibility: People are more likely to say yes if they have options for how and when to meet.
Follow up: If someone does not respond, a polite follow-up message can increase your chances of getting a response.
Ways to Trim Down Word Counts in Research
Prioritize key insights: Focus on the most essential findings rather than including everything discovered.
Be direct: Eliminate unnecessary phrases and passive voice.
Use visuals or tables: Instead of long paragraphs of explanation, present information through diagrams, charts, or bullet points.
Avoid repetition: Review your writing to ensure ideas are not being restated in multiple sections.
Incorporating Diverse Lived Experiences When They Differ from Your Research Findings
Embrace complexity: Systems research is about nuance. If lived experiences contradict existing research, that is an important finding in itself.
Create multiple narratives: Rather than forcing one uniform perspective, allow space for divergent experiences and interpretations.
Be transparent: Acknowledge these differences in your findings and discuss why they may exist.
Use qualitative methods: Sometimes statistical data alone cannot capture the depth of lived experiences. Incorporating interviews, case studies, and storytelling methods can add richness.
Ways to Recognize and Account for Biases in Lived Experiences
Collect multiple perspectives: Avoid over-relying on a single interview or one type of source.
Be aware of your own biases: Your background and assumptions shape the way you interpret findings. Reflect on these regularly.
Look for patterns: If multiple people share similar experiences, this can indicate larger systemic forces at play.
Remain open to change: If lived experiences challenge your assumptions, be willing to shift your perspective and conclusions accordingly.
The Researcher is Part of the System
As you embark on your next research project, consider this: How is my research changing me?
