Today I was inspired to read up on some articles in my field of market research. One click led to another and I started reading lots of opinions on moderating. It is truly interesting to read even from the ‘so-called experts’ what they feel are the do’s and don’ts of moderating. Even more interesting, when they elaborate on how many factors go into moderating you can see what a truly delicate job it is.
It’s not a perfect science, by any means…. for one, what we are talking about is a human talking to other humans about their thoughts and opinions. Already right there, you have a myriad of different types of aspects that come into play. If you work in customer service, you know this… there are all types of people in this world, personalities, education levels, cultural backgrounds and keeping everyone on one page as in a group setting is tricky.
It does take some clear cut defined skills; however, there will always be a little variation and spontaneity. Since we are not robots, and hopefully will not turn into them, we need to most importantly understand that moderating is all about adjusting to the situation at hand. It requires ability to adapt quickly. Often times, someone may run late, there could be a technology glitch, a change in materials/stimuli, a new line of questioning appears and a moderator has to pull everything together seamlessly to keep the interviews moving.
It’s not an environment free from making errors. I’ll admit, watching from the backroom is an easy place not only to analyze what respondent is saying, but what the moderator is doing. If it looks easy, they are likely a very skilled moderator. They have learned to adapt, think quickly and pace the discussion based on a million little factors. One important aspect is to build and maintain a good rapport, which is the core of obtaining good solid feedback. This is only truly assessed by the moderator who is sitting in close contact, observing eye contact, movements, how engaged the respondent is, whether what they are saying and doing match up and how much they are truly getting into the discussion.
So it goes without saying… do’s and don’ts- yes, there are definitely some to keep in high regard, such as don’t eat while interviewing, don’t burp in front of your respondent, don’t have bad breath, don’t repeat yourself, don’t make judgements… AND do listen, do probe, do show respect for them, and most of all, do adapt – in any way that will spark the discussion to be fruitful to achieve the end objectives, not matter what.
River Town Research 