Why Use A Professional For
Qualitative Research?
On the surface, qualitative research can appear deceptively easy: gather a handful of people
into a room, talk to them for an hour or two, then write a summary of the discussions.
However, moderating focus groups skillfully and effectively requires years of training and
experience. Conducting qualitative research has many dynamics to manage and many pitfalls to avoid, such as:
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Building rapport with respondents to create a safe
and trusting environment conducive to the best client insights
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Maintaining objectivity throughout, determining the best question wording and question ordering, minimizing
biases or "leading" questions, exploring topics without revealing what is important or what the client is looking for
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Guiding the group smoothly, including controlling group dominators and drawing out timid respondents, while
remaining courteous and respectful to all respondents throughout
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Covering as much as possible, with as much completeness as possible, while not seeming to be in a hurry
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Probing beyond the rational, logical explanations (that all people self-perceive most prominently) to get
to true, underlying motivations and associations
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Listening not only to what respondents say but also to what they don’t say, reading
body language, observing what perceptions and relationships not only exist but also are missing
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Knowing how to draw on an arsenal of techniques — when to play dumb and when to challenge, when to pursue
a topic and when to drop it, when to have respondents discuss their answers and when to have them write down their thoughts,
when to use response exercises and projective techniques
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Possessing the skill and confidence to adjust comfortably “on the fly” as the group evolves, to
take the group in any direction needed to meet the client's goals rather than focusing rigidly on the pre-written discussion
guide
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Managing local research operations, working with facilities
for the most productive research possible, knowing when something is a facility’s fault or is out of their control,
selecting respondents in or out
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Juggling it all — keeping control of all these
dynamics while continuing to listen deeply to respondents, reacting, taking dozens of mental notes, making split decisions,
watching the clock and timing out the entire group
and doing so with poise and aplomb
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Essentially a moderator is putting on a live, unpredictable production
on an exact schedule in front of big clients, and the expectations on each and every session are nothing short of perfection.
There are thousands of dollars of research on the line and millions or even billions of dollars of decisions on the line.
The resources below provide a much richer background
on the importance of using a professional qualitative researcher and the competencies a professional qualitative researcher
should possess:
Why Should I Use A Professional Moderator?
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Professional Competencies Of Qualitative Research Consultants.
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