July 2016

The Objective

As a team, review the objectives of the research and be sure the design and objectives are aligned. Remind them about what qualitative research does well and what it is less suited for.

Often, team members are used to getting research results that clearly tell them what to do, which one to choose, yes or no, red or purple, round or square. Qualitative research gives results that tell us why people make the choices they do.
When working with small sample sizes, remember that there is a strong statistical likelihood of getting the wrong answers. For example, when flipping a coin, if you got heads twice in a row you would not assume there were no tails on the coin. Similarly, random error variance means that a small sample does not adequately represent the population.
However, qualitative research used to gain insight, to make better decisions as a team, is appropriate. So if a respondent says something that rings very logical and true, the team can consider that when making their informed decisions.

How to Listen
It helps team members if they have something to listen for that will help them focus on the broad insights, the objectives, and has them listening powerfully.
Consider giving them a note sheet or sticky notes to write down particular types of insights, to specifically listen for things that surprise them, that open up possibilities, that help them understand their consumer's deeper motivations and emotions.
Don't talk in the back room if it means you are not listening -- people often hear something and then want to talk about it, missing the next point.

Don't Forget the Basics

Train your team members not to identify the company or brand , in case they happen to alert a respondent to information that could influence the research results. We often want respondents to be "blind" to brand, at least in the initial phases of a project, to hear if they bring the brand up on their own.
If using a one-way mirror for traditional research, it's best if people wear dark colors so they are not visible behind the mirror. This can be distracting and it also defeats the purpose of the mirror.