Editor’s note: Roxanne Salen is vice president of the Praxi Group, a Kittredge, Colo., research firm.
We’ve all done it, seen it or heard it: researchers criticizing a respondent behind double-sided glass, while listening to a one-on-one interview or when watching an ethnographic DVD. It’s easy to dismiss a respondent as unknowledgeable, uninformed or even as flat-out wrong.
If we are truly “researchers,” however, we need to always remember that we are listening to a valued voice. Respondents give us the opportunity for fresh perspective, for resonant inspiration and a chance to find gaps or missing links in a product, service or messaging. Every respondent who participates in research brings a unique set of beliefs, opinions and experiences from which to draw. Thus, every respondent brings a new opportunity to see a business through a new lens.
It is important that we, as researchers, see past how a respondent looks, talks or even reasons, in order to deeply understand where they are coming from and what we can learn from it. So whether you are new to qualitative research or well-seasoned, here are a few reminder tips (for the moderator and viewers alike):
Be objective. Wipe preconceived notions from your mind so that you can hear impressions of your company/product/service, etc., as if for the first time.
Listen between the lines. Even when a respondent is less-than-articulate, they may be trying to get across a similar point of view that you’ve heard elsewhere.
Seek clarification. Are the consumers’ misconceptions a product of misinterpreted messaging (and is there an opportunity for improvement)?
Look for the driver. Try to understand why the respondent is expressing the view that he or she is. Remember: he/she is YOUR CUSTOMER!
Respect the respondent. After all, respondents are taking time from their own lives to help answer our business questions.
If we treat every respondent as a valued voice, there will only be more valuable gems of insight to uncover.