Not only must they be the right age and gender, but they must also meet project-specific criteria, such as product category involvement or participation in a particular activity. In addition, it is crucial to adequately screen for articulation to ensure that participants can express themselves in a group. The teens who pass the articulation screen are those who do not hesitate to speak up. They express themselves clearly and intelligently. Their actual answers to these questions are less important than the manner in which they express themselves.
Recruiters hate to drop people who qualify all the way through except for articulation.
But always stand firm on this issue. Our screen for Influencers is based on responses to about a dozen key measures in our syndicated study. We give focus group facilities a list of these measures with a grid of possible responses so that they can determine who's eligible and who isn't. You should design these questions as statements with which respondents either agree or disagree. If you plan to seat 6, recruit 12.