My friend and client, Tracey Rankin in Australia, sent me mail :
I've been asked to prepare a talk for the Australian market research society on
interviewing techniques. The audience is mainly young and less experienced
qualitative researchers. I thought it would be nice to provide some input from
other experienced qualies around the globe on what you would recommend to a
young moderator.
So, if you all don't mind, would you answer these
brief questions...
- what tips and hints would you give a young
moderator/interviewer on running (A) a focus
group or (B) an in-depth interview?
- what makes someone a really good qualitative
researcher (not just an average one)
- is there anything specific to your geographic market
that you believe might make this different?
My response below :
1. Tips and hints for moderation/interviewing
- Regardless of whether you're conducting GDs or DIs -
I feel the key to a good discussion is in being completely comfortable with who you are and your
own physical and mental makeup - only then can you put respondents at ease,
and more quickly bust through barriers and 'masks' they may have.
- Mirroring as a technique to draw them out - if they are sitting back for
instance, you start bending forward a little - and you will see that they will
come forward too. Non-verbal communication - body stance, tone of voice, light
in eyes etc can do wonders - so as trainees they could familiarise themselves
with some of these.
- With interviews in particular, you must spend more
time making the respondent feel really easy about talking to you - in a group
situation the dynamics are different - and you could play different roles at
different moments, to take advantage of the dynamics, rather than let them
'rule'
- Also, as my colleague Shubhangi says, get respondents on your side - get them to gamely participate in
your techniques - "help me with this - this may seem strange to you but it has
an important purpose - humor me". Sometimes, it pays to be the Devil's
Advocate.
- And finally, learn to handle clients who are
viewing you conduct the group - they can be most encouraging at times, and most
intimidating too, especially when you're starting out. Be firm with them, let
them see you as the expert, don't get upset by voluminous notes being sent in,
don't ever compromise your findings to 'suit' their requirement, educate them if
need be. For instance I've had clients who've said a group was a flop because
people didnt talk too much - that's ridiculous really, unless you're a pathetic
moderator - I've had to educate them that a quiet group is not a bad group -
try and understand what they are not saying - it may just show that the topic under discussion is totally irrelevant to them,
or the advertising we are showing them leaves them cold.
2. What makes a really good qualitative researcher - tied into point 1 - and extending
thoughts there - I feel some of the key qualities in really good qual
researchers are :
- first and foremost integrity - we must be true to the data - we aren't
working with hard numbers or yes-no sort of responses. Integrity is in all
aspects of your job as a qual researcher - its in being aware of and understanding
your own biases towards a brand or product or service you're researching, its in
your moderating skills where you must stop listening for responses that match
your own feelings, its in analysis where you don't just look for consistencies -
embrace the inconsistencies and work them through - even if one person in a
group has a differing viewpoint, consider it in your analysis. This I believe is the key quality I'd look for in a qualitative researcher - every other skill can be learnt
- at the same time, and this may seem a paradox, you have to be able to play
roles when moderating - sometimes I feel it pays to be a good 'actor' - small
eg, in a warm-up session, when we talk of TV viewing and if your respondents
are talking animatedly about a TV serial you personally detest, you cannot
start making faces at them !
- creativity - yeah we do need to stick to certain parameters - but don't let
the discussion or interview guide 'rule' you
- reading between the lines -- dont just go with what they 'say' - look for
non-verbal cues that really tell you what they 'feel'. Also, try and understand
the rationale behind what they say - laddering down to end values is something
that always helps. It doesn't pay just to know that a Toyota Corolla = Amitabh
Bachchan - we need to understand why the analogy is made
- agility - you've got to be so quick in your mind - pick up cues from what
respondents say - and take them forward. Listen well and react quickly - you should never feel when you listen
too your tapes - oh how I wish I had probed this a little more.
- if you don't have an MBA degree, and most of your clients do, don't get
intimidated by marketing jargon - it's something you'll pick up as you interact
with more and more clients
3. In a country as diverse geographically, culturally and linguistically
as India, its important to have good 'teams' of qualitative researchers who can pick up
on local nuances. I remember one of my international clients, Debeers, was so
stunned in discovering the diversity in jewellery culture and traditions across
the different regions in the country that they said India is more complex and
diverse than all of Europe put together. It is so important also, to understand
and be aware of local mythology and popular culture -- I remember my boss at
IMRB telling me I must read the Ramayan and Mahabharat for instance, before I
could use some projective techniques efffectively, otherwise i wouldn't be able
to pick up nuances -- she even gifted them to me :). Thanks Kamini !
Tags: qualitative research, india
10:32:34 AM 
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