| Handling Group Dynamics in Focus
Groups Many clients are quite concerned about the impact of
group dynamics and of dominant respondents in focus groups. I tell these clients two
things: 1) it is the job of a skilled moderator to minimize the impact of dominant
respondents and make sure everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinions, and 2) the
effect of the group dynamic in a focus group is not all bad; in fact, one
of the reasons we conduct focus groups is to benefit from the group dynamic.
Group dynamics help respondents think of things they might not have come up with if they
didn't have the input of the other respondents. And, in most cases, respondents' decisions
and impressions regarding products and services in the real world are affected by the
people around them... so the group dynamic in focus groups may actually give us a better
approximation of respondents' real world situations.
But going back to the first point: how should the moderator
minimize the impact of a dominant respondent? One simple step that we've found
to be particularly effective is to simply bring the point up in the introduction to the
focus group. I like to say "I want to hear from everyone and I'm going to try to keep
things pretty even. So if you notice that you've answered first a few times, try to hold
back and let someone else go first." While the introduction is very helpful,
sometimes it's not enough, and further measures have to be taken.
In a recent article, my colleague Bob Kahle (of Kahle Research Solutions Inc.)
described a conceptual tool he developed called the "Continuum of Correction"
which sums up how to best handle dominant respondents. Kahle makes the very valid point
that it can be counter-productive to deal with a dominant respondent too severely, since
that might stifle ideas and opinions from others. Therefore, the Continuum of Correction
suggests that the moderator begin with the mildest form of non-verbal correction and
proceed to firmer and more direct corrections until the behavior is corrected.
For example, some of the mild techniques we use
include avoiding eye contact with the dominator or facing away from the dominator. If that
doesn't work, the moderator might raise a hand when the dominator begins to speak and say
"hold on, let me hear from some of the others first." If the behavior doesn't
stop, the moderator might actually refer to the ground rules set in the introduction and
say something like "remember what we talked about in the beginning, about keeping
things even? I'm going to have to ask you to hold back for a while, because I want to make
sure everyone gets an equal chance to voice their opinions." Of course, in extremely
rare circumstances, a respondent might have to be removed from a group - but if you use
the Continuum of Correction properly, that's a highly unlikely scenario.
Sources: Bureau West research; "Managing and Leveraging Dominant Focus
Group Participants," by Robert W. Kahle, Ph.D., QRCA Views, Fall 2004
For focus groups where everyone feels comfortable speaking, call Jay Zaltzman at Bureau
West Marketing & Research (tel: 1-818-752-7210). |
Sincerely,
Jay Zaltzman, President
Bureau West Marketing & Research
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