Qualities of a Master Moderator

Naomi R. Henderson is founder and president of RIVA (Research in Values and Attitudes), a qualitative research and training services company in Chevy Chase , Md. She holds a B.A. and a M.Ed. in education. She is an adjunct professor at George Washington University in Washington , D.C.

As a trainer of moderators, I have observed a variety of moderator styles and experience levels.

New moderators frequently give their attention to writing appropriate questions and managing the myriad key elements of group dynamics while probing for important information. Skilled moderators focus more on probing for second and third level information beyond “top of mind” responses as well as finding more creative ways to encourage respondents to deliver behavioral information rather than just conceptual expressions.

This article focuses on qualities of “Master Moderators,” defined as those who have mastered the key skills and techniques that lead to effective group interactions. Additionally, Master Moderators use the rich body of oral information collected and analyze and report that data in appropriate ways to support the decision-making needs of clients.

General qualities of a Master Moderator

There is a phrase among airline pilots that says, “There are bold pilots and there are old pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.”

That maxim does not hold true for moderators! A Master Moderator is by nature both bold and old (if not in years, then in number of groups conducted).

However, simply leading hundreds of groups over 10 or 15 years doesn’t automatically qualify one as a Master Moderator if new skills have not been acquired and adapted to the ever-changing conditions in the world of qualitative research. In general, the following elements make a Master Moderator:

• willingness to take risks and stretch conventional research boundaries,
• continuous search for training and learning opportunities from other related disciplines,
• constant acquisition of new ways to interact with groups of individuals in qualitative settings,
• development of more efficient methods to collect data in the 90 minutes allotted in standard two-hour focus group sessions, and
• offering clients variations on classic focus group formats (e.g., supergroups, creativity sessions, piggyback groups, etc.).

Specific qualities of a Master Moderator

I have identified 25 distinct skills that make a Master Moderator. This list is by no means complete, and I would welcome hearing from senior moderators who have additions. Since the focus group approach is less than 50 years old and little opportunity exists for moderators to see each other’s work, this list is based both on personal experience and on the styles of students observed in RIVA’s Moderator Training School since 1981.

A Master Moderator:

1. Maintains research objectivity . The moderator has no investment in the outcome of the study beyond doing complete and thorough work and does not have his/her ego tied to the act of moderating or presenting findings.

2. Establishes research objectives . The moderator supports and/or directs clients in developing appropriate and attainable research objectives and recommends the appropriate research tools to meet those objectives.

3. Understands the foundations/applications of market research . The moderator understands clearly the role of qualitative market research and its applications and limitations as well as all of the steps (from client request to final presentation) of classic focus group research projects.

4. Recommends appropriate methodologies . The moderator recommends appropriate research methodologies to clients to achieve study purposes and sticks to his/her guns to insure that an appropriate environment can be created with respondents to elicit the fullest range of information. This includes a willingness to recommend against qualitative research when appropriate, even at the loss of personal or corporate revenues.

5. Practices unconditional positive regard . The moderator possesses a superior ability to listen to all comments from respondents and clients that may range from logical to aberrant as long as responses relate to the research topic. This skill includes presenting an empathetic but neutral face and voice tone while hearing comments and responses that may range from dull to bizarre to exceptional.

The moderator recognizes that rich information, creative ideas, or “gold mines” (unexpected, rich lodes of comments from respondents) may come from unlikely sources which, on first hearing or observation, wouldn’t appear to produce meaningful information.

6. Maintains good listening skills . The moderator has an exceptional ability to be attentive to both verbal and non-verbal behaviors and to avoid informing or educating respondents. This skill also encompasses the ability to hear whether the response is a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level response (i.e., “top of mind” responses versus those from deeper thinking levels).

7. Remains observant . The moderator is able to “read” the room on many dimensions. These include:

• seeing the room as a group of strangers vying for the approval of the moderator and new “peers,”
• noting that individuals within a group have a behavior range that runs the gamut from dominant to withdrawn, and
• seeing when a participant wants to speak before a hand is raised and to “read” non-verbal clues appropriately.

8. Practices “invisible leadership” skills . The moderator possesses multiple skills necessary to lead a group discussion without falling into the trap of “leading the witness” or letting the room “run away with the conversation.”

This includes the knowledge of when to stay with a topic and probe to allow for new information and when to close down a line of questioning that produces no “pay dirt.”

The moderator is able to remain “in charge” without bullying or dominating respondents, to create rapport within six minutes of beginning a group and is able to re-create that rapport at any time.

9. Moderates effectively . A moderator has the ability to:

• create a safe environment for respondents to deliver their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes;
• state the purpose of the session and provide clear ground rules for participation;
• relate to respondents without talking “up” or “down” to them;
• terminate topic areas and move on to new ones without the need for long setups or summaries;
• allow for diverse opinions within the group and live with the lack of consensus or closure;
• “come down hard” when the discussion gets out of hand or off track without losing group affinity;
• avoid serial interviewing but include everyone in the conversation; and
• “read the room” and stay with the participants, not the papers.

10. Handles diverse opinions . The moderator anticipates and allows for diverse opinions without becoming confrontational, judgmental, evaluative or threatening and without allowing other respondents to act in these ways toward one another to the detriment of information-gathering opportunities.

11. Remains flexible . The moderator has multidimensional abilities to manage the variables contained in the qualitative research interactive process. Some of these abilities include: time management, logic tracking, linking, creative approaches to tired materials or concepts, suppressing dominators, inspiring reticent participants, probing, creating energy for dull groups, asking short questions to get long answers, and shifting unworkable situations into workable ones.

12. Conducts linking and logic tracking . The moderator recalls what was said earlier and by whom and links it to current conversation, maintaining a “logic path” that follows the thinking of respondents and does not slavishly adhere to the pre-developed guide.

13. Uses a variety of techniques . The moderator elicits data using various models and or techniques (e.g., neurolinguistic programming, projections, devil’s advocate, role playing, “board of directors,” paper and pencil tasks, etc.) appropriate to the respondents’ frames of reference.

14. Creates custom questions and custom guides . The moderator creates and writes effective questions in an organized guide or outline that follows a logical flow from the respondent’s perspective and permits them to answer queries fully and appropriately. This includes reframing questions on the spot, both within the group and between groups.

15. Uses interventions . The moderator utilizes a variety of intervention techniques (from simple to complex) to support the flow of conversation and open new ideas of exploration.

Intervention: any appropriate activity (e.g., paper/pencil activity, dyads, stimuli, etc.) that interrupts the two-way conversation between moderator and respondents for the purpose of enriching the discussion or focusing on a specific issue.

16. Uses sophisticated naivete . The moderator is able to employ a form of “not knowing” to avoid leading respondents or to avoid having the moderator’s personal viewpoint embedded in the flow of conversation.

17. Comfortable with uncertainty . The moderator can live with surprises, “gold mines” and abrupt changes in research design, without losing aplomb.

18. Thinks rapidly/makes appropriate decisions . The moderator thinks fast, responds quickly to shifts in conversation and reacts appropriately to situations without looking for endorsement or approval from clients or respondents. This includes an ability to quickly move a project along a foreshortened timeline without sacrificing quality.

19. Utilizes other paradigms . The moderator uses skills, techniques and materials from other paradigms in an appropriate manner and applies them to qualitative research projects to create maximum results for clients.

Paradigm: A pattern, example, model, or overall concept accepted by most people in an intellectual community as a science because of its effectiveness in explaining a complex process, idea or set of ideas.

20. Allows spontaneity in group process . The moderator allows spontaneity and bursts of conversation instead of suppressing the natural group process in favor of rigid research formats or oppressive group control measures.

21. Uses accurate language and paraphrases . The moderator avoids second-guessing respondents by putting words in their mouths but provides accurate feedback to respondents using their terms and words and summarizes the discussion from time to time to:

• demonstrate that respondents’ comments are heard and understood, and
• validate that all comments on target to the discussion are valuable.

This includes monitoring his or her own language so that at the outset, the number of moderator words in a group discussion ranges from 80/20 (in favor of the moderator) at the outset to 20/80 (in favor of the respondents) by three quarters of the way through the focus group.

22. Analyzes qualitative data . The moderator analyzes subjective data with an objective viewpoint, draws trend lines across diverse levels of data and finds common themes. This includes choosing the right mix of summaries, conclusions or recommendations to support the client in making the next decision step.

23. Markets services appropriately . The moderator presents his/her skills and qualifications for a fair price and in a professional manner so that potential clients have a clear understanding of these unique services.

24. Manages all project aspects . The moderator has equal abilities in managing:

• research tasks (e.g., research design),
• field tasks (e.g., writing screeners, tracking recruiting),
• project tasks (e.g., flow of focus groups),
• client politics (e.g., handling backroom during focus group process), and
• analysis tasks (e.g., production of subjective reports).

25. Remains human, not mechanical . The moderator must lead a group as an individual, a researcher and an expert, but must not act overtly in any of those roles. At no time should the moderator suppress the natural flow of conversation or add any element of artificiality to the discussion. The moderator must be natural rather than contrived and must allow a full range of personal responses without losing control of the group or appearing to be false or condescending.

Summary

While the above list of qualities of a Master Moderator is by no means complete, it does encompass many of the factors that make successful moderators effective. Methods to strengthen one’s skills and abilities in any of the above areas could include:

• reading materials from related fields about group dynamics, questioning techniques, right/left brain operations, nonverbal behavior, role playing, etc.;
• observing other moderators and discussing techniques;
• being coached by a Master Moderator (via seminar, workshop, private one-on-one sessions, or through review and written critique of submitted video tapes); and
• taking courses, seminars or workshops from various disciplines designed to strengthen particular skills.

A Master Moderator is made, not born, and in most cases is self-made. There is no magic number of groups completed that makes a Master Moderator and there is no one course that can deliver all the needed skills to clear up faults overnight.

Continual self-examination, personal stretching of skills and abilities and a questing nature for better ways to handle individuals in the group setting are some of the steps to becoming a Master Moderator.

How close are you?

(The author acknowledges contributions from Suzette de Vogelaere. Concepts & Strategies, SanFrancisco, and Jo Ann Hairston, VARI Market Research, St. Paul, in preparing this article.)