Using humor in research

My friend and colleague Tom Rich just wrote a great article about how using humor can improve the results of focus groups and interviews. It’s a point worth emphasizing. When people participate in qualitative research, they are speaking to a person or people they don’t know and they’re not sure what to expect. As a result, they are less likely to be candid and may tend toward “politically correct” responses to questions.

Humor helps participants feel more comfortable. It makes the conversation feel more casual and less “official.” If the moderator makes a self-deprecating joke, it implies that he or she isn’t perfect – and the participants aren’t expected to be perfect, either. For example, Tom like to joke that the session is being recorded because “I’m too lazy to take notes.”

However, humor is not a tool that should be used lightly (if you’ll excuse the pun!). It’s important to remember that the goal is to put participants at ease, not for the moderator to be seen as a great comedian. I’ve often said that we moderators need to emulate Pat Sajak from Wheel of Fortune when it comes to humor – his jokes were always completely bland and inoffensive. We don’t want to run the risk of offending our participants... that would be counter-productive!

For example, I used to frequently make a joke when asking about people’s lives along the lines of “you guys don’t have any stress in your lives, do you?” Everyone would laugh, because – of course – everyone feels like their lives are stressful nowadays. But one day when I was conducting focus groups in a suburban location in Tennessee, I made that joke and I saw a momentary flash of anger. I immediately smoothed things over saying something about how everyone’s lives are so stressful and the moment passed. Upon reflection, I realized that I was in a small town in Tennessee with a New York accent and business casual clothing that looked different than what the participants were wearing. For a moment, they thought I was looking down at them thinking their lives were simpler than mine. I’m sure Pat Sajak would not have made that mistake!

Let’s figure out what your customers really think. Email me at info at bureauwest.com.

Sincerely,
Jay Zaltzman (he/him), President
Bureau West: Market Research ∙ Consulting ∙ Coaching

Sources: “Using Humor to Improve Conversation,” Thomas Rich, July 17, 2024; Bureau West Research

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Bureau West conducts in-person and online focus groups, one-on-one interviews, quantitative surveys, and website usability and effectiveness testing - in the U.S., and worldwide with ThinkGlobal Qualitative.  We encourage our clients to call us early when they’re considering research, so we can provide advice on the most appropriate research method or combination of methods.