Contemporary Public

Relation Research
QL.2 Skill Seminar
Qualitative Research
Interviews and Focus Groups
 The Research Process

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 RFP for research agencies (1)
• Overview
• Purpose
• Scope of Work
o Specifications of the target recruitment/groups
(Age/Gender/Usage Habits/...)
o Number of required interviews/Groups and markets
o Process: Briefing/Audio and Video Recording/Remote
Viewing/Simultaneous translation?
o Requested timeline of completion
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 RFP for research agencies (2)
• Tasks and Deliverables
o Deliverables: Audio/ Video/ Transcripts/ Reports/ Presentations?
o A brief description of the organization, its capabilities, and its ability to
implement interview/focus groups.
o Resume/CV of proposed interviewer/focus group facilitator (single person).
o Overview of past experiences recruiting and/or working with target.
o If available, overview of past experiences working in specified markets.
o Budgets must be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate reasonableness and
completeness.

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 RFP for research agencies (3)
• Deadline of delivery and way of submitted proposal

• Award Date

• Contact info for further questions

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 Assessment Two

Let’s go to Canvas!

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QUESTIONS?

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 Procedures of qualitative interview
• Thematizing - the why and what of the investigation.
• Designing - plan the design of the study.
• Interviewing - conduct the interview based on a guide.
• Transcribing - prepare the interview material for analysis.
• Analyzing - decide on the purpose, the topic, the nature
and methods of analysis that are appropriate.
• Verifying - ascertain the validity of the interview findings.
• Reporting - communicate findings of the study based on
scientific criteria.
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QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
 What is an interview protocol?
An interview protocol is more than a list of interview
questions; it also extends to the procedural level of
interviewing and includes a script of what you will say before
the interview, script for what you will say at the conclusion of
the interview, prompts for the interviewer to collect informed
consent, and prompts to remind the interviewer the
information that she or he is interested in collecting.

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 Interview Protocol Elements
a. A heading
b. Instructions to the interviewer (opening statements)
c. The key research questions to be asked
d. Probes to follow key questions
e. Transition messages for the interviewer
f. Space for recording the interviewer’s comments (optional
since you are hopefully taping)
g. Space in which the researcher records reflective notes

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 Interview Protocol Process

Note. Reprinted from Interview Protocol (p. 36) by Center for Socially Engaged Design, University of Michigan
RMIT University (n.d.). Retrieved from http://insitu.engin.umich.edu/assets/InterviewProtocol-CoreContent-3.pdf 12
 https://web.stanford.edu/group/ncpi/unspecified/student_asse
ss_toolkit/sampleInterviewProtocol.html

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 https://www.nap.edu/read/21743/chapter/12

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 Qualitative Interview Checklist (1)
Opening Introduction
• Greetings • Ask some generic
• Rapport questions
• Build up rapports (1)
Confirm
• Build up rapports (2)
• Information about the research • Build up rapports (3)
• Verify the name and details
• Consent forms
• Permission to record
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 Qualitative Interview Checklist (2)
Main part Closing
• Ask some specific questions • Summarize
• Follow the interview protocol • Q&A
• Probing (1) • Build up rapport (1)
• Probing (2) • Anything else
• Build up rapport (1)
• Get all Information

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 Developing the Interview Questions
(1)
• What do you want to know?
o Review the purpose of your evaluation and why you are
conducting these interviews
• Decide on the questions you will ask
o Brainstorm questions
o Prioritize and identify the key questions
o Identify possible probing questions
o Anticipate how long each question will take to answer and
keep within your timeframe

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 Developing the Interview Questions
(2)
• Sequence the questions
• Opening questions, transition questions, ending questions
• Write your questions down in an interview guide that lists
the topics or questions to be covered
• Remember: the type and specificity of your questions
depends upon whether you are conducting a structured,
semi-structured or unstructured interview

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 Interview Questions (Spradley) (1)
1. Grand Tour Questions: Questions that lay out an in-depth descriptive
sequence explaining a series of events, describing a group of people,
telling how to engage in an activity, use an object, or run through the
events of a time period.

Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Interview Questions (Spradley) (2)
o Can you describe a typical day in the store?
o Tell be about the events that led to ....?
o Can you describe your impressions of this brand? Start
at the time you first heard about the product and
continue through to your trial and then purchase

Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Interview Questions (Spradley) (3)
2. Mini Tour Questions: Mini-tour questions are identical to
grand tour questions except they deal with a much smaller
unit of experience.

o Can you describe what it is like to use this website?

o What were your expectations in this situation?

Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Interview Questions (Spradley) (4)
3. Example Questions: Example questions are still more
specific, in most cases
o Could you give me an example of....?

4. Experience Questions: This type merely asks

interviewee for any experiences they have had in some
particular setting.
o Could you tell me of some experience you had working
as...?
Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Interview Questions (Spradley) (5)
5. Native-Language Questions
Native-language questions are designed to minimize the
influence of interviewees' translation competence.
o The way we would say it is ....... (mistakes vs typos)

Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Patton Taxonomy of Interview
Questions (2002) (1)
THINK
Knowledge Questions:
• Who told you this?
Opinions and Values Questions:
• Why does your organization hold this attitude toward
people from diverse backgrounds?
Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Patton Taxonomy of Interview
Questions (2002) (2)
FEEL

Feeling questions:

• How did you feel when....?

Sensory Questions:

• When you smell the interior of a brand new car, what images come to
your mind?

• What do you see when you look at this billboard?

Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Patton Taxonomy of Interview
Questions (2002) (3)
DO
Experience and Behavior Questions:
o Could you tell me about your experience of using social
media?
o When you saw the oil spill and realized the repercussions for
your company’s reputation, how long did it take you to
activate your crisis communication plan?
Background and Demographic Questions:
o What is your educational background?
o How many staff are there in the communications team?
Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Other types of interview questions (1)
• Idealization Questions (Schatzman & Strauss, 1973)
o Ex. Describe the ideal type of communication between
bosses and employees in your company. (Follow up: Now
compare it with the actual communications).
• Contrast Questions. Used to reveal difference in perception
by comparing one thing to another.
o Ex. Why did you do give the money this charity rather than to
another?
o Ex. Describe the opposite of what you think about Company
X Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Other types of interview questions (2)
• Hypothetical- interaction Questions.
o Ex. What if...
o Ex. Imagine that you are the brand manager for this. What
would you do?
• Direct and Factual Questions.
o Ex. What are the major business stories you recall from the
Economist this week?
• Structural Questions. In them you want to understand how
people organize their feelings or knowledge
o Ex. What are all the different ways you watch TV?
Daymon & Holloway (2011)

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 Activity
Write 5 interview questions related to your brand/target/topic.
Make sure to include probes, if necessary.

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Activity Discussion

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QUALITATIVE FOCUS GROUPS
DISCUSSION GUIDE

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 Moderating a Focus Group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjHZsEcSqwo

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 What is a focus group discussion
guide?
The topic guide is an outline that is already been prepared
and has topics and issues to be explored. The topic guide is
designed with the overall research questions in mind and is
constructed to ensure that topics covered in the focus groups
relate to the research objectives.

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 Focus groups can be done for many
purposes including (1)
• Concept Testing
• Product Testing
• 5Ps Optimization
• Campaign Ideation and Evaluation
• TVC Testing
• Brand Equity

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 Focus groups can be done for many
purposes including (2)
• U&A Studies (('Market sizing' (e.g. category penetration,
usage frequency, etc.), 'General category understanding'
(e.g. who uses, what/when/where /how, category
dissatisfactions, etc.), Understanding brands (brand
penetration, brand perceptions, brand choice drivers, etc.),
Information for targeting (e.g. attitudinal or behavioural
segmentations))

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 Focus group interview stages
1. Introductory remarks and ground rules

2. Warm-up

3. Outline of the context for the discussion

4. Main Discussion: General to Specific

5. Summing up
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 https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/10/03/MA%20SH
A_Final_AppendixB_100217_Version2.pdf

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 https://www.wcasa.org/resources/areas-of-
interest/evaluation/select-the-design/

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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example
Approach
Communication is a personal affair. So we will first secure
each respondent’s personal feedback through completing a
short self completion questionnaire for TV scripts before any
discussion. Then after the discussion, each respondent will
make his or her final individual recommendation, again
through self completion. We will conclude with the group’s
recommendation to BRAND International Team. In this way
we hope to blend individual and group feedback.

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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (2)
Order of TV Scripts

We will have 4 TV Executions and 2 groups in each market.

The order of the TV scripts will be

A C B D (Group 1)

D B C A (Group 2)

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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (3)
Guideline

Introduction & Welcome (5 minutes): State purpose of group which

is to get feedback on 4 advertising scripts for Brand X. Carefully
explain the difference between scripts and final executions...and
that there is no “right or wrong” , just honest responses. Then
explain the agenda. First we want your individual thoughts and
feelings so we’ll hand out this short form for you to fill out. Then
we’ll collect your responses and have a discussion about them.
Each member of the group introduces himself/herself .
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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (4)
Self Completion (25 minutes).
The moderator provides the first TV script to the participants
and asks them to read it and imagine the TV ad while reading
the script. Self Completion and collection of self completion
before sharing next TV script (5 minutes)
Group Discussion (85 minutes)

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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (5)
Share TV Script A. Focus on main message (uniqueness and
relevance), likes and dislikes, credibility, and persuasion. (10
minutes)
Repeat for Each TV script (30 minutes)
Each respondent shares his/her selection of the best TV
script and reason why (10 minutes)
Discuss the meaning of Change for them and what TV script
shows change that is relevant to them (15 minutes)
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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (6)
Introduce the Taglines and ask the group to evaluate based
on main message (Uniqueness and Relevance), Likes and
Dislikes, what fits with each script (20 minutes)
Moderator: Thank you so much for your time.
Make sure you have a group and a participant identifier on
each page of the self-completion (5 pages in total)

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 BRAND TVC Test.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Example (7)

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 https://womensworldbanking.org/youthsavingsguidelinks-
EN/Sample-Focus-Group-Guide-Product-and-Marketing-
Prototype-Testing.docx

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 Focus Group Examples
The code of Culture (Rapaille)

• – Rational (C): What it is and what it is used for

• – Emotional (A): Collages using pictures

• – Memory (M): Unconscious mental territory as Earliest memories of the

• – Ex. JEEP=HORSE (IN USA) / – Ex. ALCOHOLISM /– Ex. LOVE

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 Focus Group Examples

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoK9lIhzBjw

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 Ex. Focus Group Starting Guide (1)
Welcome
Introduce moderator and assistant
Our topic is ...
The results will be used for ...
Your were selected because ...
Guidelines
No right or wrong answers, only differing points of view
We're tape recording, one person speaking at a time

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 Ex. Focus Group Starting Guide (2)
We're on a first name basis
You don't need to agree with others, but you must listen respectfully
as others share their views
Rules for cellular phones and pagers if applicable. For example:
We ask that your turn off your phones or pagers. If you cannot and
if you must respond to a call, please do so as quietly as possible
and rejoin us as quickly as you can.
My role as moderator will be to guide the discussion
Talk to each other
Opening question
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 Ex.Focus Group Starting Guideline (1)
FOCUS GROUP INTRODUCTION WELCOME
Thanks for agreeing to be part of the focus group. We
appreciate your willingness to participate.
INTRODUCTIONS Moderator; assistant moderator
PURPOSE OF FOCUS GROUPS We have been asked by
_________________to conduct the focus groups. The reason
we are having these focus groups is to find
out_______________. We need your input and want you to
share your honest and open thoughts with us. GROUND
RULES
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 Ex.Focus Group Starting Guideline (2)
1. WE WANT YOU TO DO THE TALKING. We would like everyone to
participate. I may call on you if I haven't heard from you in a while.
2. THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS Every person's
experiences and opinions are important. Speak up whether you
agree or disagree. We want to hear a wide range of opinions.
3. WHAT IS SAID IN THIS ROOM STAYS HERE We want folks to
feel comfortable sharing when sensitive issues come up.
4. WE WILL BE TAPE RECORDING THE GROUP We want to
capture everything you have to say. We don't identify anyone by
name in our report. You will remain anonymous.

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 Focus groups questions
Engagement questions

Exploration questions

Exit questions

https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/research_ready/focus_groups/effective_questions

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 Ex. Focus groups questions
Finish the following sentences for XX
People who use XX are__________________
XX reminds me of__________________
My friends think XX is ______________
If XX was a celebrity, it will be______________
because__________
If XX was an animal, it will be______________
because__________
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 NOT Focus groups questions
• Leading questions: these give direction and the desired answer, for
example: So, do you agree that...? How bad was it that...?
Management did..., didn’t they? Would you say that...?

• Value-Laden Questions: emotionally charged words should be avoided,

for example: Should you be forced to...?

• Double-barrelled questions (e.g. do you eat fruit and vegetables every

week?) are best separated into two parts.
https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/146264/focus-group-
guide.pdf
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 Focus groups questions
Any questions asked by the moderator should be:
• Short and to the point
• Focused on one dimension each
• Unambiguously worded
• Open-ended or sentence completion types
• Non-threatening or embarrassing
• Worded in a way that they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or
“no” answer (use “why” and “how” instead) There are three types of
focus group questions: 1. Engagement: introduce participants to and
make them comfortable with the topic of discussion 2. Exploration: get
to the core of the discussion 3. Exit: check to see if anything was
missed in the discussion
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 Activity
Write 1 engagement, 3 exploration, and 1 exit question
related to your brand/target/topic. Make sure to include
probes, if necessary

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Activity Discussion

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 References
Center for Socially Engaged Design, University of Michigan. (n.d.). Interview
protocol [pdf file]. Retrieved from
https://csed.engin.umich.edu/assets/InterviewProtocol-CoreContent-3.pdf

Daymon, C. & Holloway, I. (2010). Qualitative Research Methods in Public

Relations and Marketing Communications (2nd ed.). New York, NY:
Routledge. Available from the RMIT Library as an e-book.

Dr. Clotaire Rapaille. (2014, May 29). Dr. Rapaille on 60 Minutes - CBS News
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoK9lIhzBjw
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