Use the first few minutes of a moderated user research interview to gauge your participant while you are building rapport. Pay attention to how quickly they respond, how verbose they are (or not), their level of engagement, and more.

If they are slow to respond, set the stage to share the first response that comes to mind. Underscore that there are no right or wrong responses. Use verbal and visual positive feedback to encourage them.

If they are verbose, try to manage the length of their responses by framing questions more carefully. For example, "would you tell me about ___ in a short sentence or two?" Or maybe “how would you quickly summarize ____?”

If they are far away from the mic or camera, father away that I am in this image, you may ask if there is a way they can move closer.

The closer someone is to their mic and their camera the more engaged they will be.

Note: Moderator performance can decrease engagement too so make sure to model the experience you are looking to create! Maintain eye contact, turn your cell phone off, focus, and position yourself appropriately.