Transcription of focus groups from digital audio recordings, microtape, mini tape and standard cassette tape recordings, VHS, digital video and more.

Recording Focus Groups for Transcription

Focus groups, like any other type of transcription with more than three voices such as meetings and round table discussions, are particularly challenging and will take longer to transcribe than interviews. You can make your focus group transcripts more accurate by following the advice below:

Before the focus group

If you're planning to provide refreshments, arrange to have the food before or after the discussion, as the noise of eating can obscure the participants' speech.

Check with the participants that they do not mind being recorded for later transcription. Do this well in advance, and have a back-up plan or policy ready if anyone objects.

Do make sure you have a good enough recording system with external microphones. Internal mikes are only suitable for dictation; these are designed to be held close to the mouth for one person to record dictation into. For a focus group you will need a system with external microphones, ideally one per participant. If that's not practical then one good quality microphone at the very least, and preferably two or three. A good quality recording will lead to a more affordable transcription service.

Assuming you are using digital recording (strongly recommended as the quality is much better), use a file format that is compressed (see our articles page for an article on Digital File Types for Audio Transcription), so that it can be easily transferred over the internet to us.

Conducting the focus group

Make sure the group is meeting in a quiet, self-contained room with no distractions. Background noise can drastically reduce the quality of the recording and increase the time taken to transcribe.

Check your recorder is recording before you start the group!

Lay down the ground rules at the beginning of the focus group, including reminding participants not to talk over each other as this will mean we can't hear clearly when we're transcribing the recording for you later. Don't be afraid to remind them of this during the discussion, as when people get passionate, excited or angry they will talk over each other! This is the time to give all introductory information, such as what you are researching and why, before you turn the recorder on, unless you want it transcribed. This will save on recording time. Or you can just tell us where on the tape to start. (This is easier with digital transcription as audio tape counters are not very precise.)Sometimes you won't need to know who's speaking, so long as each time a new person speaks this is indicated on the transcript. This will be cheaper as we then don't have to take time to distinguish the different voices, so it's worth considering in advance whether you need the information on who's speaking at any particular time.

If it is important to know who is talking then you will ideally not have more than five people of the same sex or eight people altogether, unless their voices or accents are very distinctive. If you need to have the different speakers identified in the transcription ask each person to introduce him/herself. Make sure this is more than just saying their name. For example, ask for a name, job, where they live, who else lives with them and their favourite food. The point is that the transcriptionist has a chance to get a 'handle' on the different voices before the meeting starts. It also helps to break the ice. If you have a large group, ask each person to state their name every time they make a comment, or alternatively thank them by name for every contribution, to help us identify participants.

It's hard to strike the perfect balance between getting all the information and letting a true discussion develop. If the purpose of the group is to develop a discussion e.g. a group of company directors discussing government policy or a group of scientists giving opinions on your company's latest product, then you won't want to be continuously interjecting to remind them not to talk over each other, but if your primary reason for using a focus group rather than one-to-one interviews is financial e.g. market research, then the primary goal is probably to get opinions from as many people as possible and an in-depth discussion is not really the aim. In this case you can be firmer with moderating the group.

If it's important to stick to a discussion plan then don't be afraid to gently reign people in if they go off track e.g. 'That's a very interesting point, but what we're really discussing here is the taste; we will be discussing that later on.'

After the group - preparing for transcription

Make a list of all the names (with correct spellings) and genders, and other relevant info e.g. Dr Sandy Shaw, Blogs Hospital NHS Trust, Qualified 10 years - Female. Give this list to the transcriber along with the names of the moderator and anyone else who is present and makes any comment e.g. someone who's helped to organise the group or is participating in the research.

Make sure you tell your transcriptionist exactly what you want e.g. verbatim or intelligent verbatim transcription. Please see our Transcription Type page on the website for further information.

Affordable Transcription Services for Focus Groups

Our standard rates are shown in the table below but please note that this rate will be reduced slightly if you do NOT want the individual participants identified. We will try to identify participants as standard, but if you don't require this please let us know. This will save some time. Each time the speaker changes we will leave three blank lines between paragraphs, but we will not put in any attempts at distinguishing who is speaking, with the exception of the moderator.

Focus Group, Meeting or Round Table Transcription Price per Audio Minute
Standard rate £2.00-2.50 depending on numbers of people etc.

Discounted rate for universities, students, institutions and charities £1.80-£2.30 depending on numbers of people etc.

Please note: This only applies to good quality digital recordings- assuming clear recording with minimal background noise and no strong accents, intelligent verbatim. Our hourly rate for tapes is £20.00 per hour (or £18 per hour discounted rate). Please see the information on tapes and transcription times and type for more information on this.

Keyword 1 - focus group transcription| Keyword 2 - affordable transcription services| Keyword 3 - digital audio transcription

	If you're planning to provide refreshments, arrange to have the food before or after the discussion, as the noise of eating can obscure the participants' speech.
	Check with the participants that they do not mind being recorded for later transcription. Do this well in advance, and have a back-up plan or policy ready if anyone objects.
	Do make sure you have a good enough recording system with external microphones. Internal mikes are only suitable for dictation; these are designed to be held close to the mouth for one person to record dictation into. For a focus group you will need a system with external microphones, ideally one per participant. If that's not practical then one good quality microphone at the very least, and preferably two or three. A good quality recording will lead to a more affordable transcription service.
	Assuming you are using digital recording (strongly recommended as the quality is much better), use a file format that is compressed (see our articles page for an article on Digital File Types for Audio Transcription), so that it can be easily transferred over the internet to us.

	Make sure the group is meeting in a quiet, self-contained room with no distractions. Background noise can drastically reduce the quality of the recording and increase the time taken to transcribe.
	Check your recorder is recording before you start the group!
	Lay down the ground rules at the beginning of the focus group, including reminding participants not to talk over each other as this will mean we can't hear clearly when we're transcribing the recording for you later. Don't be afraid to remind them of this during the discussion, as when people get passionate, excited or angry they will talk over each other! This is the time to give all introductory information, such as what you are researching and why, before you turn the recorder on, unless you want it transcribed. This will save on recording time. Or you can just tell us where on the tape to start. (This is easier with digital transcription as audio tape counters are not very precise.)Sometimes you won't need to know who's speaking, so long as each time a new person speaks this is indicated on the transcript. This will be cheaper as we then don't have to take time to distinguish the different voices, so it's worth considering in advance whether you need the information on who's speaking at any particular time.
	If it is important to know who is talking then you will ideally not have more than five people of the same sex or eight people altogether, unless their voices or accents are very distinctive. If you need to have the different speakers identified in the transcription ask each person to introduce him/herself. Make sure this is more than just saying their name. For example, ask for a name, job, where they live, who else lives with them and their favourite food. The point is that the transcriptionist has a chance to get a 'handle' on the different voices before the meeting starts. It also helps to break the ice. If you have a large group, ask each person to state their name every time they make a comment, or alternatively thank them by name for every contribution, to help us identify participants.
	It's hard to strike the perfect balance between getting all the information and letting a true discussion develop. If the purpose of the group is to develop a discussion e.g. a group of company directors discussing government policy or a group of scientists giving opinions on your company's latest product, then you won't want to be continuously interjecting to remind them not to talk over each other, but if your primary reason for using a focus group rather than one-to-one interviews is financial e.g. market research, then the primary goal is probably to get opinions from as many people as possible and an in-depth discussion is not really the aim. In this case you can be firmer with moderating the group.
	If it's important to stick to a discussion plan then don't be afraid to gently reign people in if they go off track e.g. 'That's a very interesting point, but what we're really discussing here is the taste; we will be discussing that later on.'

	Make a list of all the names (with correct spellings) and genders, and other relevant info e.g. Dr Sandy Shaw, Blogs Hospital NHS Trust, Qualified 10 years - Female. Give this list to the transcriber along with the names of the moderator and anyone else who is present and makes any comment e.g. someone who's helped to organise the group or is participating in the research.
	Make sure you tell your transcriptionist exactly what you want e.g. verbatim or intelligent verbatim transcription. Please see our Transcription Type page on the website for further information.

Focus Group, Meeting or Round Table Transcription	Price per Audio Minute
Standard rate	£2.00-2.50 depending on numbers of people etc.
Discounted rate for universities, students, institutions and charities	£1.80-£2.30 depending on numbers of people etc.
Please note: This only applies to good quality digital recordings- assuming clear recording with minimal background noise and no strong accents, intelligent verbatim. Our hourly rate for tapes is £20.00 per hour (or £18 per hour discounted rate). Please see the information on tapes and transcription times and type for more information on this.