In my own experience, when I become overly focused on the mechanics of moderating (i.e., following techniques by the book, etc.), my moderating has suffered. Going into various techniques (e.g., laddering) can help in getting questions answered or getting better answers. A skilled moderator will know when to go down that path and when not… Read more »
Do the discussion guide. In the moderator’s quest to impress their clients, to uncover key insights, he/she might become overly complicated in their moderation. This can have some unintended consequences. If the moderator makes sure that the questions are at least addressed, then he/she has done their job. Perhaps only the bare minimum, but they… Read more »
When conducting a focus group, or even an in-depth interview (IDI), there are a lot of factors that can derail the proceedings. Respondents could be fakers (i.e., lying during the screening process), late, inebriated, offensive, dominating, or simply quiet. All of these issues have to be dealt with by a qualified and experienced moderator. However,… Read more »
“As a moderator…” will be an ongoing, semi-regular series discussing my thoughts on being a qualitative market researcher. Since becoming a moderator since 2007 – having conducted numerous focus groups, in-depth interviews, home visits, and so forth – I have had some wonderful sessions and some pretty terrible ones (albeit, the terrible ones have become both less… Read more »
One of the key challenges of any moderator and a key determination of success for any focus group or interview is creating rapport. The moderator is attempting to get people to speak on their associations, feelings, opinions, experiences, etc, moments after they have been placed in a room full of strangers. It is vital that the… Read more »
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