Topic: ICG Matters, Guidance & Materials

  • RECORDING: Book Group- ‘The Way We Talk Around Here’ by Gill Ereaut

    RECORDING: Book Group- ‘The Way We Talk Around Here’ by Gill Ereaut

     

    Join author Gill Ereaut, alongside ICG member Judy Taylor who’ll lead a discussion about this book that shows how your organisation’s culture shows up in your language and why it matters.

    Judy says…

    If you work with companies who are aiming to improve workplace culture and communication, or if you are responsible for advising clients on how they communicate with their staff, about their brands, to their consumers, The Way We Talk Around Here is well worth a read.

    It’s great for qualitative researchers to understand how and why language is the data of culture. By being able to decode language and its influence, it helps highlight how it also sets invisible rules and parameters that affect how we are perceived and how we perceive others.  Reading this book can change how we speak, read and listen. The book outlines clear strategies for leaders to adopt more relevant and meaningful cultural norms through the language they use. The book focuses on linguistics, and provides insights into how small linguistic changes can transform a business or brand culture. It’s great to apply some of her wisdom to running focus groups and depth interviews too, and especially apply it when completing ethnographic work.

    Extract from the Amazon summary:

    The unspoken rules and unquestioned assumptions that make up an organization’s culture are so well hidden that, once we become insiders, we stop noticing them. They’re just ‘the way we do things around here’.  Examining an organization’s language is a powerful and practical way to shed light on its culture.

    Gill Ereaut describes how to uncover organizational and team cultures through paying close attention to the language used and adopted by insiders.

    • How researchers and ethnographers – and those helping organisations – can spot language patterns to identify unconscious rules and norms

    NB Gill Ereaut is a linguistic consultant specializing in analyzing corporate cultures and their effects. She founded UK consultancy Linguistic Landscapes Ltd in 2002, pioneering the commercial application of language analysis to organizational challenges.

    More info

    ‘The Way We Talk Around Here: How your organization’s culture shows up in your language and why it matters’ is shortlisted for the People, Culture & Management category in this year’s Business Book Awards. Run annually, the awards celebrate the work of authors who have shared their industry or market knowledge, experience, and expertise in published book form. The category People, Culture & Management is for books focused on improving people skills, management and working environments.

    Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/9xjVnLm

    LinkedIn Live interview : https://www.linkedin.com/events/meetour2025bbafinalists-gillere7356325971311923201/theater/

    Recording of Book Group session is here 

  • 40 Years In Market Research – Lynne Chapman

    40 Years In Market Research – Lynne Chapman

    Initially I worked as a librarian, but after relocating from London to Nottingham, a friend and neighbour, Bev Wener, who had moved into market research recruitment, persistently told me I’d be perfect for it. I resisted at first, forgetting I’d once been a participant in a dessert focus group, where I’d enthusiastically over-shared my opinions — a sign, perhaps, of things to come.

    Eventually, largely thanks to Bev’s encouragement (and being broke), I contacted QRS, her agency. By chance, they were running a training day, and on a whim — and a sick day — I went. That day, 4th November 1984, changed my life. I met Marilyn, who needed a lift home from the training and lived nearby. That lift turned into a 34-year business partnership and a lifelong friendship. We became each other’s lifeline in a job full of unpredictability.

    At first, we handled simple projects: tea drinkers, Basildon Bond writing paper buyers. It was all very manual — clipboards, catalogue cards, and door-to-door recruitment. Bev and our supervisor Pat offered us great support. In those days, recruitment was often about stopping strangers on the street or knocking on doors — not something you’d get away with today.

    The projects were endlessly varied and often bizarre: aftershave, mayonnaise, fishing gear, and even a secret chocolate launch (Cadbury’s Spira). We once recruited for a group hidden behind a false wall for a Woman’s Realm ad. We worked in homes, hotels, and viewing studios, and sometimes found ourselves caught up in strange moments — like a respondent urinating on my sofa or researchers throwing tantrums over crisps.

    Tech slowly reshaped the work. I embraced it (eventually), while Marilyn resisted, earning the affectionate nickname “The Luddite.” We moved from handwritten notes to PCs, then to online screeners and databases. But some things never changed: the unpredictable nature of the job, the quirks of respondents, and the challenge of hitting quota.

    We built a client base through word of mouth, often receiving calls from people who’d simply “heard of us.” Working with agencies like Abbott Mead Vickers and BMP was a joy — they valued recruiters, treated us well, and hosted fabulous parties where stories (and wine) flowed freely (and a recruiter and a planner enjoyed some “afternoon delight” in the fax room…..). One memorable moment was my daughter mishearing “AMV” as “Albert Needs Knickers” — a family legend.

    In 1998, Drusilla Gabbott sparked debate by writing about the difference between repeat respondents and actual corruption in recruitment. Shortly after, her colleague Deirdre Cordwell commissioned us to recruit a project under the guise of butter buyers but specifically sought experienced focus group participants. The resulting research, presented at the 1999 MRS conference as “Do We Assume Too Much?”, challenged the industry norm that repeat respondents were problematic, suggesting instead that they could enrich group discussions.

    Despite the humour, we also faced serious challenges. In 1997, a proposed national respondent database threatened independent recruiters. I founded FAIR — Freelance and Independent Recruiters — and, alongside others, successfully campaigned against it.

    At a 2013 event, I challenged the lack of recruiter representation on a working party. That conversation led to my participation in the creation of the Recruiter Accreditation Scheme. I became its first certified recruiter, passing with distinction — twice. It was a career-defining moment. In recognition of my work, the MRS made me a Certified Member.

    I also served on the committee of the Insight Consultants Group (ICG), which became another professional home. It’s a place of mutual support, collaboration, and shared values — one of the reasons I’ve stayed in the industry so long.

    Some moments have left a deep personal mark. One respondent, a young Indian woman, once cried at my kitchen table. She told me it was the first time anyone had ever asked her opinion. It reminded me that our work can give people voice and dignity, not just data.

    Then came the pandemic. I was about to send reminders for face-to-face groups when lockdown hit. That same night, I hosted my first Zoom group. It was a seismic shift. My local, Midlands-based model suddenly didn’t make sense. Clients preferred national online groups, and my workload dropped dramatically.

    But slowly, things have picked up. Face-to-face groups have returned. I’ve even handed out cash in envelopes again — very nostalgic. That said, the inconsistency of online incentive payments remains frustrating. There’s a need for more fairness and industry-wide standards.

    Forty years since that first training day, I’m still here. Still recruiting. Still believing in the power of a good group. The industry has changed dramatically — from handwritten notes to digital quotas, from teabag buyers to GDPR-compliant NDAs. But what hasn’t changed is the importance of listening.

    What we do matters. We include people. We ask them to share. We give them space to be heard — whether it’s about chocolate or direct debits. It’s been a career full of oddities, laughter, frustration, and pride. And I’m so grateful for it all.

    Just don’t ask me to recruit a group of Basildon Bond users!

     

  • ICG Members Winning….A Monthly Celebration

    ICG Members Winning….A Monthly Celebration

    Big congratulations to the following ICG members this month;

    The AURA’s 2025:

    WINNERS:

    Other nominations :

    Congratulations to Focus 4 People (Bev Tahor) for passing their our annual ISO27001 audit ( Data Management ) for ‘The Recruitment of High Calibre Responders for Market .’

  • The ICG Logo

    The ICG Logo

    Here’s our new logo for your use.

     

     

  • RECORDING AND RESULTS: ICG Member Census – Exploring the Results

    RECORDING AND RESULTS: ICG Member Census – Exploring the Results

    The ICG conducted a Member Census in February.

    Thanks to the hard work and expertise of the team of members who ran and processed this*, we’d now like to invite members to come along and hear some of the results.

    We’d also like to take this opportunity to explore ICG ideas for improvement.

    RECORDING OF THIS SESSION IS BELOW, ALONGSIDE A FULL DECK OF FINDINGS. These are for ICG members only – please don’t circulate. 

    Special thanks to the team who made the census happen:

    Core Team:

    Additional Help:

    Recording of session here

    Full interactive census findings here 

  • ICG Membership Criteria – A Reminder

    ICG Membership Criteria – A Reminder

    As you know, the purpose of the ICG is to support independents and micro businesses working in or around insight. To make sure we can do this, and provide a fair, level playing field for all members, we have rules around the size and set-up of the businesses members own or work for.

     

    Size

    • New members can have a maximum of 3 full time equivalent employees, including the member themselves (total 112.5 contracted hours per week).
    • After joining, businesses can grow to 5 full time equivalents, including the member (total 187.5 contracted hours per week).
    • This refers to payrolled employees, or people who could reasonably be seen as employees, eg by HMRC – it doesn’t apply to ad hoc supplier relationships or individuals collaborating on a project basis.

    Set-up

    • ICG members’ businesses must be independent of any other business – in other words, they must not be benefitting by being part of something else. For example, if you are supported by a larger company’s finance / HR / marketing department, and not managing all of that yourself, you have benefits that micro businesses normally wouldn’t have.
    • The majority of an ICG member’s work must be for their independent micro business.
    • If a member works part time for their own micro business and part time for a larger company, the benefits of the ICG should be ringfenced for the micro business. For example, it would be fine to access the ICG hive mind through the egroup for your own business projects, but not to benefit the larger company.

     

    We take care to check business size and set-up before accepting new members and do ad hoc checks on existing members. However, it’s not always clear to see how members’ businesses are growing or changing after they have joined, particularly if other platforms show conflicting information, such as members’ own websites, LinkedIn, the MRS and Companies House.

    If your business has outgrown the ICG, please let us know. Even though you’re no longer eligible to be a member, we’d be very happy to discuss how you can still be a friend of the ICG, and be in contact with our members, via sponsorship or advertising, and by staying on our ezine mailing list. We appreciate that roles can evolve, and now perhaps more than ever we have squiggly careers, side-hustles etc, so if in doubt please get in touch – we can always talk through on a case-by-case basis.

    We hope you appreciate the importance of us having, and monitoring, these limits, so that we can honour the purpose of the ICG and remain a fair place for all members. If needed, we reserve the right to withdraw membership if we believe a member’s business or employer is bigger than the rules allow.

    Anne Rodger, ICG Membership Committee Member 

  • ICG Membership Eligibility Criteria

    ICG Membership Eligibility Criteria

    As you know, the purpose of the ICG is to support independents and micro businesses working in or around insight. To make sure we can do this, and provide a fair, level playing field for all members, we have rules around the size and set-up of the businesses members own or work for.

    Size

    • New members can have a maximum of 3 full time equivalent employees, including the member themselves (total 112.5 contracted hours per week).
    • After joining, businesses can grow to 5 full time equivalents, including the member (total 187.5 contracted hours per week).
    • This refers to payrolled employees, or people who could reasonably be seen as employees, eg by HMRC – it doesn’t apply to ad hoc supplier relationships or individuals collaborating on a project basis.

    Set-up

    • ICG members’ businesses must be independent of any other business – in other words, they must not be benefitting by being part of something else. For example, if you are supported by a larger company’s finance / HR / marketing department, and not managing all of that yourself, you have benefits that micro businesses normally wouldn’t have.
    • The majority of an ICG member’s work must be for their independent micro business.
    • If a member works part time for their own micro business and part time for a larger company, the benefits of the ICG should be ringfenced for the micro business. For example, it would be fine to access the ICG hive mind through the egroup for your own business projects, but not to benefit the larger company.

    We take care to check business size and set-up before accepting new members and do ad hoc checks on existing members. However, it’s not always clear to see how members’ businesses are growing or changing after they have joined, particularly if other platforms show conflicting information, such as members’ own websites, LinkedIn, the MRS and Companies House.

    If your business has outgrown the ICG, please let us know. Even though you’re no longer eligible to be a member, we’d be very happy to discuss how you can still be a friend of the ICG, and be in contact with our members, via sponsorship or advertising, and by staying on our ezine mailing list. We appreciate that roles can evolve, and now perhaps more than ever we have squiggly careers, side-hustles etc, so if in doubt please get in touch – we can always talk through on a case-by-case basis.

    We hope you appreciate the importance of us having, and monitoring, these limits, so that we can honour the purpose of the ICG and remain a fair place for all members. If needed, we reserve the right to withdraw membership if we believe a member’s business or employer is bigger than the rules allow.

  • ICG Members Become MRS Fellows

    ICG Members Become MRS Fellows

    Huge congratulations to two of our members who’ve been recently awarded Fellowship of the MRS.

    Fellowship of MRS is the most prestigious grade of membership awarded in recognition of exceptional accomplishment and contribution to the sector.

    Konrad Collao, Craft

    It means a lot for my work to be recognised by the Market Research Society. The most satisfying thing is the fact that I was nominated for a Fellowship by someone with whom I am only tangentially linked. I’d honestly never even considered being a Fellow – it wasn’t really on my radar. Yet, taking the time to reflect on my career to date and take stock of my ‘achievements’ was heartening. It underlined to me that we’d probably all benefit from taking some time to think about what we contribute. I for one am guilty of launching into ‘the doing’ without taking the time to celebrate the work and its impact. Seeing my career highlights written down was hugely gratifying, a feeling multiplied by the fact that the MRS’ Main Board felt they were worthy of recognition.

    Judith Rose (Staig), ContentWrite, Explners

    What an honour. I’ve had a fairly unconventional career, but the one constant has been market research. I’ve loved this sector ever since I fell into it by taking a part-time job as a telephone interviewer while at university. I loved the combination of arts and science, the ability to be really nosy about peoples lives and, more than anything, the people. Researchers are typically intelligent, curious and thoughtful, and I’ve been delighted and privileged to work with so many inspirational people over the years. I’m equally delighted to be in such august company as that of the other MRS Fellows, including our own Konrad Collao, and I’m very grateful to the MRS for the award.

  • ICG Member Deal with Coloop – AI CoPilot for Qual Research

    ICG Member Deal with Coloop – AI CoPilot for Qual Research

    We’re delighted to announce an exclusive ICG member deal with Coloop – AI CoPilot for Qual Research… As many members know we’ve been working hard to find a pricing/ offer that reflects how we independents work. Coloop has been really responsive and has developed this pricing model – just for us ICGers. Members feedback has been instrumental in shaping this deal – so a big thank you to you.

    Collaboration Made Simple

    – Each bundle supports up to three users per account, enabling easier teamwork.

    Cost-Efficiency with Bulk Discounts

    – Enjoy pricing as low as $100 per project if you buy in bulk.

    Flexible Top-Up Options

    – Purchase bundles as needed or subscribe to a rolling plan, with the freedom to “top-up” anytime additional projects are required.

    Work at Your Own Pace

    – Enjoy 12-month validity for each bundle, providing the flexibility to manage your projects across a full year, whether it’s a busy season or a slower period.

    Two Month Trial

    – Get a trial to explore the platform with a 75% discount compared to standard prices

    This new structure is live now! If you have any questions, please direct them to josh@coloop.ai

    Read all about it & sign up here

    Additional info here 

    Thank you for being an integral part of the ICG community. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out—we’re here to support you!

     

  • The MRS Inclusion Pledge for Insight Consultants

    The MRS Inclusion Pledge for Insight Consultants

    The ICG has worked with the MRS on an Inclusion Pledge which is relevant for ICG members/ independent consultants to encourage commitment to inclusive practices across the sector. 

    The Inclusion Pledge for Independents focuses on ensuring we work with others who are also committed to diversity and inclusion practices, and building these principles into our research design where practical.  In this way we consultants are able to play our part in ensuring a broader representation in our industry.

    ICG Inclusion Pledge, a Manifesto for Insight Consultants

    We believe that a sector that provides insight and evidence about human behaviour and society should be representative of the world it serves. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where the only barriers to progress are personal choice and professional competence.

    To contribute towards a diverse and inclusive sector we commit to:

    1. Create safe and welcoming practices for all.
    2. Design research projects to allow representation for all, ensuring active consideration of inclusive research designs and methodologies.
      • Be transparent about our recruitment and sampling practices, especially when claims of national representation are being made
    1. Wherever possible work with research partners who practice parity and have EDI policies
    2. Support diversity and inclusion in our industry:
      • Call out incidences of inappropriate behaviour and where necessary whistleblow those incidences to MRS
      • Stay up to date with practices and latest thinking on stress, mental health, and well-being in the workplace
      • Be aware of the MRS Inclusion Pledge for agencies, and work towards being compliant as/if the business grows.
    1. Support and where possible be involved in outreach programmes that aim to improve the representation and diversity of our sector.

     

    Developed in partnership with the MRS Inclusion programme

    With special thanks to Annabelle Phillips, ICG committee member responsible for Diversity & Inclusion, for spearheading this initiative and liaising with the MRS.

    How to sign up

    If you are interested in committing to this Pledge, there are two routes you can go down:

    • MRS members:
      • To sign up for the Pledge as an MRS member and receive the MRS Pledge logo to be used on your marketing collateral and to be included on the lists of signatories published on the MRS website, please email : ceo@mrs.org.uk stating that you wish to become a signatory to the MRS Independent Consultants’ Inclusion Pledge. MRS will send you a simple form of words for the commitment , and once you have sent the  commitment back you will be sent the logo and your name or company name will be included on the list on the MRS website.  For more information go to: https://www.mrs.org.uk/resources/ceo-inclusion-pledge. For MRS members the Pledge is governed by the terms of the Code of Conduct; there are no expensive audits.
    • ICG members who are not MRS members:
      • To sign up for the Pledge as an ICG member and receive the ICG Pledge logo to be used on your marketing collateral and to be included on the lists of signatories published on the ICG website, please email : mailto:diversity@theicg.co.uk stating that you wish to become a signatory to the Independent Consultants’ Inclusion Pledge.

    For more information go to: https://www.mrs.org.uk/resources/ceo-inclusion-pledge. There are no expensive audits.

    Pledge Signatories

    The following have signed the Pledge for Insight Consultants:

    Amanda Claesens,  ACE Market Reseach:
    Emil Brune, African Grey
    Mark Rogers, BMB Holdings Ltd:
    Matt Kirby, bob’s your uncle:
    Lynne Guthrie, Caledonia Market Research:
    Cathy Riley, Catalyst Research:
    Monique Rotik, Collaborate Research:
    Phil Gray, Constellation-i:
    Danny Russell, Danny Russell Consulting
    Ella Fryer-Smith, Do You Research
    Allison Samuel, Field Solutions Market Research
    Jeffrey Deighton, Insight Engineers
    Debbie Moorcroft, Moorcroft Market Research
    Kath Rhodes, Qualitative Street Ltd (Qual Street)
    Kathy Seymour, Seymour Research
    Liz Montgomery, Sharp Research Ltd
    Simon Riley, Shore
    Steven Lacey, The Outsiders
    Kathryn Hall, True Insights
    Sally Kemkers, Untapped Innovation
    Liz Lipscomb, Vantage Point Research