Random Thoughts
March 29, 2023
This week, we are back to the basics again. But this time I wanted to give the especially aspiring moderators some tips that are not often thought about to be an effective moderator. Have a read-through if you are interested to learn more. And of course, comment and follow us on One16.co for more!
Know you guide, establish eye contact: This might seem basic, but know your discussion guide like the back of your hand. It stops you from looking at your guide too much during the actual interview which prevents you from establishing a healthy level of eye contact and therefore rapport with the end-user.
Ask open questions, not leading questions: An example would be, “don’t you think this is a bad idea?” instead of an open-ended question such as “what do you think about this idea?”. The former question already led the end-user to think negatively of the idea. This happens more often than you think, this needs to be constantly reminded within yourself during the interview. It is very easy to fall into that trap.
Avoid the word “why” as much as you can: Hard to imagine, isn’t it?! But try not to use the word “why” to ask for the “why’s”, but ask in a way that makes end-users list the reasons (e.g. “what makes you think this” instead of “why you think this”). Asking it this way makes them think more thoroughly about their answers and allows you to dig deeper.
Don’t be afraid to probe more to achieve clarity: Sometimes you need to force the end-users to think more and deeper to unearth valuable insights. You might think this is a given, but this happens more often than you think. I see way more moderators that probe once or twice and then shy away.
Don’t be afraid to cut end-users off when they ramble on: Some end-users tend to fall off a tangent quite often, so don’t be afraid to cut them off and redirect them to the point of discussion. Remember, you only have limited time to talk to them so use the time wisely.
Well, that's all folks! Make sure you follows our socials for more!
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