For conducting central location interviews, university and college departments of marketing, communi cations or health education might be able to provide interviewer training and student interviewers. Students in these departments are being trained in research methods, and pretesting can give them a chance to develop their skills. Facilities Pretesting facilities should be quiet and comfortable. Meeting rooms at churches, office buildings or other institutions can be used for conducting focus group or individual in-depth interviews. If an observation room with a one-way mirror is not available, you may allow staff to listen by hooking up speakers in a room nearby, or by audiotaping or videotaping the session.
Many resources exist for obtaining professional assistance in pretesting.
As mentioned in the previous section, the faculty at university departments of marketing, communications, health education, psychology, or sociology can be helpful in designing and conducting pretests. Marketing research firms that specialize in respondent recruitment, interviewing, tabulation, and other services may have facilities for conducting group sessions. The American Marketing Association's Marketing Services Guide lists suppliers and services geographically throughout the United States. Other sources include the Marketing Research Association, and the Association of Public Opinion Researchers. They will be able to draw on their commercial experience for selecting the appropriate pretest methodology.