How to help respondents talk about potentially embarrassing topics

Editor's note: Steve Hudson is an independent moderator and president of Let’s Talk Research Inc., Chicago. 

Years ago when I was a newbie qualitative researcher, I was asked to conduct individual interviews for an adult diaper brand. As part of the discussion guide, the mostly-older respondents were asked to try the new diaper designs on over their pants in front of a two-way mirror full of clients and then talk about how they felt. I can still picture some of them – the stylish African American woman and her stoic expression; the retired accountant in corduroy pants getting flustered with the sticky attachments. Looking back, I cringe with my own embarrassment when I think of how humiliating the experience must have been for them.

From diarrhea and credit card debt to impotence and wart removal, uncomfortable or embarrassing topics are a fact of life for consumers – and for marketers who rely on honest insights to create and promote meaningful products and services for them. For qualitative researchers, these projects can either feel like navigating through minefields or, if run well, be both enlightening and kind of liberating for respondents and moderator alike.

How can qualitative researchers help research respondents open up without leaving them feeling shamed or worse? Here are six tips I’ve picked up over the years from my own experience and the advice of fellow qualitative researchers:

• Tell respondents the purpose of the study, both in the recruiting stage and at the outset of the interview or group. Patients with a specific condition, for example, may be more motivated to participate if they know that the research will be used to help others like themselves.
• One-on-one interviews are often ideal. It’s difficult enough having to open up to one person about dealing with premature ejaculation or crushing financial debt, let alone a room full of strangers. For usage tests such as the diaper study mentioned above, use online diaries so respondents can try out products in the privacy of their home and report back. For group discussions, anonymous online discussion boards can allow for a wealth of feedback you might never get from in-person research.
• In-person focus groups on sensitive topics can provide an abundance of insights as long as all respondents are recruited to the same specs and assured of anonymity. Individuals who have been largely suffering alone may be delighted to be in the company of others in similar situations. Once the floodgates open, the group often almost runs itself with a few nudges here and there from the moderator to steer the conversation through the guide. At the start of the group, let respondents know that they may find themselves interested in continuing the conversation with fellow respondents after the group is over and if so, they may share their information with others if they wish but should feel no pressure to do so. This can create a self-fulfilling prophecy where participants feel more invested in each other and the topic.
• Spend a little more time than usual in the introduction stage in order to build trust and openness. You may want to reveal some information about yourself – where you’re from, your living situation and why you find it meaningful to talk with people like them – in order to prompt the same openness from them.
• Normalize! We’ve all heard the pharmaceutical ads that let us know that one-in-four people live with this or that condition. Reassure respondents that they are not unusual and that many others share their same situation or condition.
• Strike a matter-of-fact tone. Some of the topics discussed may cover very sad or depressing territory. In such case, the best advice I’ve found is to acknowledge what was said, show empathy and continue on with the discussion. 

In covering sensitive topics, you may come across respondents in real emotional distress. The best advice I’ve heard is to work with clients in advance to develop a distress protocol. This may include offering to call a respondent’s friend or family member for them, providing contact numbers for support services or having a local licensed therapist available on call. 

B2B projects can present another type of roadblock when it comes to getting respondents to be candid. The owner of a local landscaping company in a highly competitive market may be rightly guarded about revealing how much she spends on weed killer each year. Rather, ask business owners or managers about the trends they see in in their industry and market. Inevitably they’ll end up talking about their own experience.

It’s a privilege 

Ultimately, it’s a privilege to have research respondents let us into parts of their lives or businesses that they probably don’t discuss even with close friends. Sometimes such projects give us much more than facts from a discussion guide – they give us a unique window into the human condition. Like the time I moderated a hospice care group and listened to a veteran with kidney failure talking about coming to terms with the end of his life. Or the beer group in which an electrician explained that though he loved his family, home life was much more challenging than work life. Or the feminine products group moderated by a fellow quallie in which an older woman opened up about an affair that she had never been able to talk about with others before. With empathy and the right approach, we can uncover truths that build better solutions for our clients while enriching our own understanding of what it means to be human.