The moderator's guideline is prepared in detail. A sketchy guideline can give a moderator leeway to explore, but a detailed guideline helps the client understand the moderator's line of thinking. A qualified moderator will know when to deviate. We strive for professionalism. After a person is screened to qualify as a participant, he or she is verbally briefed on what to expect.
Participants receive a written confirmation, a direction map and one or more reminder calls.
Moreover, we expect our moderators and hostesses to appear professional and have a friendly attitude that makes people comfortable. We pay our participants in advance. And, they realize their opinions are important. Successful focus groups combine a relaxed tone with the seriousness of achieving the research objectives. Careful thought should be given up-front to make sure that the composition of groups will result in getting the desired information.