Tips for Recording & Conducting Groups

Good quality recorder is essential for a group

All companies make low-end and high-end lines of recorders, and the ones in the lowest-cost lines won't have the capacity to cope well with groups, where some people will be relatively far away from the mic. This is one of the things that really separates poor quality from better quality recorders.

See the section Tips on Recording Equipment for recorders that will cope well with groups. As you'll see, good quality recorders have "scene" settings so you can adjust it for a group.

A good rule of thumb is that a reasonably good quality recorder will be able to produce MP3 and/or WMA format audio. If it only produces WAV or some other proprietary format, it's not good quality. It should also have an option to record in Extra High Quality Stereo. If it lacks these features, it's not worth the money, because for around $20 more you can get one that will do an excellent job in all recording environments.

Recorder Settings for Groups

Please see the section Tips on Recording Equipment. As noted above, good quality recorders have "scene" settings so you can adjust it for a group.

Do tests beforehand

Make sure that you do tests beforehand for the volume of the group members themselves, not just the facilitators. It's quite common for the facilitator to be crystal clear, while many members of the group are too far from the mic. So do a test with someone sitting as far away as the furthest group member will be sitting. The people that sit the farthest away from the mic are often the ones that are the most likely to mumble or whisper.

It's very helpful if you can provide us with the following:

• • A list of the names of the facilitator(s) and participants.
  • A list of the questions you'll be putting out to the group.
  • A list of any names and terms you'll use frequently, particularly the names of people within your organization that we may not be able to find on the internet, and also any relevant websites.

Have each of the facilitators introduce themselves in their own voice

If there's more than one facilitator, they should each introduce themselves in their own voice at the beginning of the audio, so that the transcriptionist can learn what each of their voices sounds like. This is particularly important if the facilitators are both the same gender. If one facilitator does the introduction on behalf of both of them, we won't have an opportunity to hear each person's voice.

Make sure the recorder is turned on before the researchers introduce themselves

Sometimes the facilitators will introduce themselves and explain the project with the recorder turned off, then belatedly realize they should've had it on so that we could learn their voices. In this situation, it would be great if they could introduce themselves again for the benefit of the transcriptionist.

Have each of the participants introduce themselves at the outset

If you're recording a group, it's helpful if you can have each member of the group introduce themselves in their own voice at the outset. If you do this, we can make miniature recordings of each person's voice and refer back to it every time we're not sure who's speaking. This is particularly helpful if the group is very homogenous in terms of gender, age and language of origin.

Ask people to mention their name before they speak

One really good tip is to request that people mention their name before they speak.

Address people by name and/or thank them after they've spoken

If the facilitator invites people to speak by name and/or thanks them by name after they've spoken, this helps confirm for the transcriptionist who is about to speak and/or who's just spoken.

Talking Stick

Some of the best recordings we have had of groups are from researchers who've given the group a "talking stick", which has to be passed to the person who is talking before they can speak. Although this sounds cumbersome, it's actually much better to have people speak in turn and be heard than speak out of turn and be lost amongst other speakers, or be misheard, partially heard, or not recorded at all.

Pass the recorder around

A somewhat more cumbersome option, but one to consider nonetheless, is to physically pass the recorder to the person who wishes to speak. This prevents people from talking over each other and also overcomes the distance problem. This may be a necessity if you have a poor quality recorder.

Repeat answer back when participant whispers or mumbles

If people whisper or mumble, an easy way to make it clear for the transcriptionist is to repeat the answer back to the interviewee. You can do this unobtrusively by repeating the answer back as a preface to the next question.

e.g. "So you've lived here since birth? Okay, and what is the..."

See the section on Tips on Recording Equipment, because the type of recorder and the setting, such as the "low cut" filter, can help significantly to overcome soft-spoken participants.

Noisy environments

Use the "low cut" filter on your recorder if recording in a noisy environment. All reasonably high-end recorders should have this option. All companies make low-end and high-end lines of recorders, and the ones in the lowest-cost lines won't have the capacity to cope well in noisy environments. This is what really separates poor quality from better quality recorders.

Batteries

Make sure you have fresh batteries before you begin recording. It's an important point that's often forgotten. If you look in the technical specifications for your recorder, either in the information booklet or on their website online, they should give you the number of hours the batteries should last. It's a good idea, if possible, to keep a record of how many hours you've been using the recorder and replace the batteries before they wear out.

Avoid rustling papers, tapping or writing near mic

The mics on recorders amplify sound dramatically, so it's important to try to avoid rustling papers, typing, tapping fingers or taking handwritten notes right next to the mic. This will make it very difficult for the transcriptionist to hear the conversation and is very hard on the ears.

Avoid sitting near computers & having cell phones on

Electronic equipment and cell phones can create electronic interference with the recording equipment and show up as a strong hum on the recording, making it difficult to hear the speakers and hard on the ears.

Avoid conducting a group while participants are eating

We understand that often you may need to conduct a group session at a venue where food is being served, but it often makes it almost impossible to hear what's being said. It's actually a lot easier for the people present during the meeting to hear what's being said than for the recorder to pick it up.

Use the "low cut" filter on your recorder if recording in a noisy environment. All reasonably high-end recorders should have this option. All companies make low-end and high-end lines of recorders, and the ones in the lowest-cost lines won't have the capacity to cope well in noisy environments. This is what really separates poor quality from better quality recorders.