Table 2 Responsibilities, skills and attributes for engaging expert clinicians as novice researchers

• Assess the needs of each research team and the group as a whole

• Manage multiple research groups

• Assess understanding of the weekly topic and develop the topic

• Check for misunderstandings

• Facilitate conversation in a safe space

• Make material relatable on a professional and personal level

• Encourage reciprocity of learning between the different participants

• Provide written examples, exercises, extra resources, homework

• Work with research emotions of the clinicians

• Listen to clinicians as to what they want to do rather than impose own bias

• Keep the enthusiasm for research

• Instil confidence

• Get to know participants personally and how they react to certain questions and content to support them accordingly

• Work with negative emotions and emotional reactions to research

• Break down professional hierarchies if applicable

• Motivational interview to help clinicians clarify a clinical problem into a research question

• Using the collective wisdom of the group

• Being able to see deficits in learning and learning needs

• Good understanding of adult learning concepts—content delivered in easily digestible ways

• Outstanding communication skills

• Active listening

• Looking and observing

• Clinician background of research facilitators can be useful

• Allowing everyone to have a voice

• Understanding communication cues

• Developing rapport

• Organizational skills to manage multiple projects, time management

• Open mind

• Being adaptable—absorb information quickly

• Being aware of own biases and ensuring that they don’t interfere (e.g. spending more time with groups with shared topic expertise)

• Transparency and authenticity to meet the clinicians’ expectations

• Enthusiastic approach

• Being approachable