Focus Group Transcription

With the increasing demand in today’s marketing business, it has become necessary to know the opinion of the public or group of people. Focus group is one such thing, which extensively discusses a given issue or issues of interest that comprises 8 to 10 participants and a moderator. The interactive group setting encourages the participants to speak freely and give their own opinions about the related subject. Whatever be the industry sector, focus group discussion provides valuable feedback. Focus group is generally used in the business for planning, marketing and evolution.

A focus group is worthless if it is not recorded for reference purposes. Rather than relying on memory, most moderators get the session video recorded. Then the recorded audio/video files are transferred into a CD and sent to the transcription service providers for transcription. The need of the transcript is for reference in the library or as a study material for marketing teams or for student’s pursuing higher degrees or research groups.

A focus group transcription involves the transcription of audio/video recording of a focus group session. It is about converting the conversation of group discussions into written documents with good usage of language and format.

Conducting a focus group discussion is in itself a specialized job requiring the organizer to maintain a quiet atmosphere-this can greatly help the transcriptionists to easily identify the voice they are transcribing.Focus group discussions are the most difficult to transcribe if not recorded well. Several factors such as background noise, multiple speakers, overlapping comments and volume inconsistency make it a specialized task. People in groups have a tendency to all speak at once, interrupt each other or raise their voices if they become animated.  In order to produce a good quality of transcript, a moderator should keep few points in mind while recording.

1. If you want the participants to be identified throughout the transcript, tell them to speak about themselves in the beginning. This will enhance the opportunity for the transcriber to accurately reflect who said what and when.
2. Choose a quiet location. Background noise can spoil a recording, so choosing the recording location is vital, preferably a quiet indoor environment.
3. Should make the participants speak slowly and clearly
4. The participants must be provided microphone to help the transcriber get a clear insight of the participant’s speech.
5. Ask to switch off the mobile phones
6. If possible, use digital medium of sound recording. Digital and minidisc recordings will always produce a clearer recording than any analogue format such as standard audio tapes, mini tapes or micro cassettes.

These steps will ensure your transcription work high in efficiency at the same time reducing the time of transcription.

Read Also: How a Transcriptionist Can Help Your Focus Group