Focus Groups: how to get the most out of your transcript

[bridiej]

Focus groups are an important market research tool for any brand or product, yet so often I'm presented with sound files that have been poorly recorded, resulting in valuable information being lost. Not only that, transcription companies usually charge extra for poorly recorded audio.

Here are some tips to ensure you capture as much as possible:

Position the microphone centrally

Sounds obvious doesn't it? Yet the majority of focus group audio files I receive have the microphone positioned so some respondents are incredibly loud, while others can hardly be heard. By placing your microphone in the centre of the group it ensures that all the participants' voices can be clearly captured.

Turn off mobiles

And I mean - turn them off! Setting a phone to silent means the ringing and message beeps won't be heard on the recording but the interference will.

Introductions are important

Although focus groups are usually anonymous, introducing each of the respondents is a great idea as it lets your transcriptionist know how many people were present and gives them a chance to pick out individual voices.

Read the rest of this article

[lukeg]

Turn off mobiles

And I mean - turn them off! Setting a phone to silent means the ringing and message beeps won't be heard on the recording but the interference will.

I often run a P.A. system with cordless mics, and get a kick out of the shocked and confused looks people seem to get when they pull the mic close to them and become inundated with digital gibberish! They don't know what is going on!

In addition, the sound level on the interference could easily be far above the level of the normal speech of the participants. That would not be a pleasant surprise to the transcriber's sensitive ears!

Thanks for highlighting this truism! It needed to be said!

[The Perfect Word]

Great article! Somehow I missed it when first posted in January.

The most common problem I have with the groups I transcribe is people talking over one another. Drives me almost insane sometimes. But I do work with one gentleman that is a master at moderating focus groups and gets them back in line quickly. Many times he's said something like his transcriptionist will kill him if they don't all stop talking at the same time...LOL! Now mind you I've never said anything to him, he just knows I can't transcribe what they're saying when they do that and doesn't mind telling them to stop it!

Thanks, Bridie!

[bridiej]

Thank you both for your positive comments