18 Jun A Peek at the Fun Part of Message Refinement
For message refinement, almost nothing compares to the dial-test focus group. Our clients sometimes say that the dial test focus group is the “fun part” of the refinement process. When you work with us, you get to see, in real time, how people feel about your message. And the quantity and quality of feedback we get from these sessions is a big reason clients come (back) to us with communications challenges.
The focus groups are the result of careful planning
The scripts that we write, the video we show, and the discussions we lead are the meat of the session—the submission of your message for the respondents’ judgment. We work closely with you in preparing every element, to maximize the time in the sessions and get you the information you need.
The discussion guide is our road map
To loosen up the room, we try to make a personal connection. So we start with introductions. Once respondents introduce themselves, we have them answer a series of questions using their dials—demographic questions, and general questions concerning the issue at hand, to record what attitudes they’ve brought to the session, or the level of support for your issue that they already have.
Then it’s time for the dial test. We show the video, usually a point-counterpoint debate performed by two actresses, one presenting your message, the other the best arguments against it. Respondents watch, listen, and register their agreement or disagreement at each moment with their dials, using a zero to 100 scale.
This gives us far more actionable information than simply asking questions in a traditional focus group: we can quantify how each person in a group is reacting to every piece of your message.
How you participate
During the groups you’ll be in the control room, observing; as you watch the agree/disagree lines spike and dip in real time, you can make note of things you want us to ask during the discussion. We’ll be doing the same.
After the video debate, we ask more dial questions, including whose point of view they sided with more. We may ask some of the pre-video dial questions to see if your arguments (or your opponents’) changed their opinions at all.
Once we know what works, and what doesn’t, we can probe more deeply with respondents. We replay clips with significant spikes or dips, and discuss why they reacted the way they did, and explore ways that would work better.
Afterward we’ll analyze the results, edit the scripts as necessary, and then (usually) do another round of testing.
In the end, we will land on a set of best practices for you to follow. We pare it all down for you into the ‘What to say ; What not to say’ matrix. It is a favorite of our clients because it is so simple to use and weigh messages against. Check out the article on the ‘What to say ; What not to say’ Matrix.
Feel free to reach out if you want to brainstorm any upcoming projects.
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