Warm-ups
Starting a group conversation can be tricky. At the beginning of a formal conversation (like a research session) we need to both welcome participants, and also set out a framework for what’s going to happen. There’s a lot going on at a point when the researcher is perhaps at their most nervous – especially if clients are in play.
My approach (other than to try to be welcoming) on the warm-up front is:
- ask people easy questions – concrete things – like name, household info … it gives people a chance to speak out loud under not too much pressure…
- meet people where they are – show them you are tuned into them and their needs as soon as possible – so I often ask people – ‘what kind of a day have you had so far?’ (and then make the joke that we’ll be gentle with them if they’ve had a tough day)…
- in person sessions: play the name game – get the group to learn each other’s names – find a way to make their name stick/ be memorable to the group… NB this isn’t about making fun of names, or calling out unusual names…
These three approaches ‘break the ice’. And people genuinely seem to enjoy the second and third. That then gives the session leader the chance to explain the roadmap of the session – the topics that are going to be explored and the ‘rules of the session’…
