How Should You Choose A Focus Group Moderator?

An article by Naomi Henderson in the Summer 2012 edition of AMA’s Marketing Research magazine gives a worthwhile list of guidelines for choosing a moderator (You can read this article at http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/MarketingResearch/Pages/2012/Summer%202012/Qualitative-Reflections.aspx).

She points out that such a choice is not necessarily straightforward because “qualitative inquiry is a delicate balance of personality, experience and awareness of the nuances of group dynamics.” In other words, in choosing a moderator, you are not only selecting someone with a particular set of skills, you are also choosing a personality and all the risks that come along with such a choice.

Naomi’s article goes on to give some very practical advice on:

· What types of questions you should ask a prospective moderator

· What types of questions you should ask the references provided by that moderator,

· What types of work samples to request, and

· What to look for in a sample DVD from your prospective moderator.

This advice is worthwhile and useful but one important point she is missing is that there are very different styles of moderating which can have a huge impact on the perceived “fit” between clients and moderators.

In my experience, the two biggest styles are what I call the “laid back” style vs. the “in your face” style of moderating. Both are effective forms of moderating but each can impact the “back room” in different ways.

Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of moderators of the “laid back” variety. They tend to be very calm, which helps the group relax, and are very deliberate in their approach, which means that the topics get thoroughly explored. One moderator in particular made very good use of silences in the group – instead of filling each moment with questions, he let respondents essentially talk through the issues and build on each other without doing a lot of active probing. I think this approach works but, at times, the silences can make certain back room clients uncomfortable because they are not “getting what they want.”

Personally, I’m more of the “in your face” type of moderator. These moderators take a very active role in the group, tend to run very high energy sessions and work very hard to avoid silences. Because there is almost always something happening in these groups, clients tend to get a sense that it is a “good” group. However, clients can also miss some of the nuance in these groups or feel that certain topics were not fully addressed.

My main point is that, in addition to the Naomi’s practical suggestions for choosing a moderator, a good addition is to also ask a prospective moderator “how would you characterize your style of moderating?” In doing so, think about the team/internal clients you will have working on your project and what style of moderating might fit best with them.