Focus groups are often conducted for research and analysis purposes. There are numerous elements that go into conducting a focus group and one of those key elements that should not be left out is the transcript.
Due to the various parts of setting up and running a focus group, there is great potential for chaos. There are few things more frustrating than completing a productive, data-rich session only to find that the recorded audio is unusable or the transcript returns in a chaotic, unreadable mess.
Transcription alone can be a tough business, even with a professional transcription agency. It becomes more difficult when those conducting the focus group do not make adequate preparations to ensure the continuity of the recording. With careful planning, those leading the group can make transcription easier and reduce the cost of the overall project.
Focus groups add to the overall transcription challenge due to the variety of potential voices and accents depending on the nature, location, and cultural diversity of the group. Also, depending on the interaction of the group and the intensity of the discussion, there may be several people talking over each other, making it difficult to distinguish and differentiate between the people who are speaking and what they have said.
With these variants, it can take a little longer to address the transcription of focus groups, which can unfortunately increase the cost of the service. However, there are several things that can be done to make the transcription process easier:
Speak clearly for transcription in a focus group
For starters, if food or drinks are offered, they should be given to the participants before the session begins. Eating or drinking can not only make open discussion a bit awkward for others, it can be off-putting and even more difficult to decipher what people are saying when they’re talking with their mouths full of food or around a drink.
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Second, having a quality recording system can be helpful. A center microphone is a poor choice because the people closest to the microphone will overpower those further away. Having individual quality microphones or strategically placed microphones to capture multiple ends of the conversation is vital to accurately capturing all aspects of the group conversation for transcription.
Manage parties in a focus group
As mentioned, it is difficult to transcribe a conversation when multiple parties are talking to each other. Discerning who is speaking can be difficult for even the most experienced professional transcription service. If you have a way to mark who is speaking at any given time, this can be helpful. Focus group participants should also be advised to avoid talking over each other as much as possible.
To assist in transcription, a focus group coordinator must inform the transcription service specifically what type of information needs to be recorded. For example, a verbatim transcription that includes all the idiosyncratic aural elements or something else like a “clever word verbatim” that omits stutters, hesitations, etc. For market research purposes, this information and these types of audio cues can be useful, so it is important to specify what is needed.