Could you quickly summarise what you do for work?

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I’m a project manager in market research. I lead research projects on a wide variety of topics (from new medications or rare disease diagnoses to security cameras or body lotion), managing a team of recruiters, translators, moderators, analysts… I am also the main point of contact for the client throughout the project. It is my responsibility to ensure the project gets done on time, on budget and to the specifications requested by the client.

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Do you think being able to communicate in writing matters in your field? Why or why not?

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Clear communication is the cornerstone of what I do. Nowadays the majority of market research is done online, and my projects are all international, so written communication via email is unavoidable. Market research projects involve multiple people with different roles, objectives, and even different languages. Maintaining clear and proactive written communication throughout the project on who needs to do what and when and how is key to a successful project, as it avoids misunderstandings that can waste money and people’s time. 

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As projects tend to change during their lifecycle (for example a specific recruitment quota gets relaxed, or interview dates are extended), it is important to have a written record of every decision made, even if it was done over the phone or in a meeting. In market research, projects are usually fast turnaround, and with multiple countries in each project it can get very confusing quickly if you do not write clear notes that you and others can refer to, during and after the project.

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What, if any, parts of your work require you to write?

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From the beginning of a project, every step of what I do needs to be captured in writing. When I am first introduced to a client and have a meeting with them, I send them an email detailing everything we mentioned in the call, the project specs and the next steps to take. I then send similar emails with the appropriate information to the members of the team: translator, recruiter, analyst, etc. Throughout the project I will send the client updates on the status of the project, any issues we are encountering, and recommendations. All of this information needs to be clearly laid out with precise language to avoid ambiguity, especially as I might be dealing with non-native speakers.

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As I work on 10-12 projects simultaneously, with each project on average involving three different countries, keeping clear written records of what is happening in each project is invaluable to me. Writing things down reduces my mental load and allows me to switch off after work, knowing that all the information I need has been written down and nothing will be missed.

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How is writing as part of your job changing with time, especially regarding recent technology?

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When I first started working in market research, I would use templates the company had to write emails, especially updates to clients. Now that I have  more experience, I am able to quickly write emails from scratch. I do not use AI in my day to day, as I find the emails I need to write often pull together so many pieces of information from different sources (vendors, team members, etc) that it would take me the same amount of time to write the prompt than to actually write the email. However, I know newer colleagues use AI in the same way I used to use templates, to save them time in drafting emails (especially those difficult Bad News messages!)

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Does writing help you to think? If not, what other methods do you use to think?

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Definitely. I especially think writing things down using pen and paper is a great thinking tool. The act of writing it down with a pen helps me focus more on what I am writing, and remember it better than just typing it on a keyboard. I write all my to-do lists in a notebook, as well as brainstorm potential solutions, and quick notes or shorthand during meetings. I find it a very useful tool to supplement my short-term memory, as I often receive info I need to pass on, but might not be able to do it immediately. 

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I subscribe to the ‘extended mind’ thesis, which says that our mind is not only inside our brain, but that it extends into the physical world. My notebook and my computer are extensions of my mind, and writing things down on paper or on the computer means that information and knowledge is always accessible to me.

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What are you reading at the moment?

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I am currently reading ‘Hopscotch’ by Julio Cortázar in the original Spanish. It’s a fictional 20th century novel written in an experimental, non-linear order, so you have to jump between chapters to read the story in order. It is very different from anything else I’ve read before and it’s opened my eyes to how writing can be used in a non-traditional way.

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Thank you!

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