How should a moderator greet the respondents in a focus group? Should she be cool and in control or warm and welcoming?
One answer comes from the field of embodied cognition. A study described in the Journal of Psychological Science indicates that subjects who were made to feel socially excluded estimated the temperature in the room to be an average 5 degrees lower than control subjects in the same room.
The feeling of social coldness increases anxiety and defensiveness, which make the moderator’s job of achieving insight that much more difficult.
A moderator should always greet respondents warmly and encourage them to be open and unafraid in their responses. In psychology, this is called unconditional positive regard. Once this rapport and acceptance is established, it is actually easier to control group dynamics. A warm but firm leader inspires trust and sharing.