A focus group is a group of people who have been brought together to

discuss a specific topic in-depth. They are extremely useful for evaluating

services or for testing new ideas. Basically focus groups are interviews , but of

6-12 people at the same time. Focus groups have had a "bad press" in the

past because often they have been conducted in a manipulative way and

responses have been misinterpreted in order to fit in with the perceived

outcomes desired by those conducting the focus groups.

Why use a focus group

Focus groups are a very useful tool for collecting relevant and informative

data. They allow you to investigate complex behaviour such as what different

groups think about a subject and why they hold such views and can also help

to identify changes in behaviour. Focus groups are particularly useful in

investigating the use, effectiveness and usefulness of a service as they allow

you to gather detailed information and probe people's views. They also enable

the user to inform decision making and resource allocation.

However, Focus groups can be difficult to control and manage as some

participants may have their own agenda. It can also be difficult to get people

to take part as some people may find the focus group situation intimidating or

off-putting. It is important to remember that focus groups are not suitable for

every occasion and will only be useful where the topic being discussed is of

sufficient substance to merit vigorous debate. In order to protect the validity of

your findings you must also avoid joining in any debate that ensues but

merely record the participants' views. This can be more difficult than it

sounds, especially if they are saying something that you believe is not true!

However, unless you do this you leave yourself open to the accusation that

you have manipulated your results. You must not try to "engineer" the

responses you want to hear and allow participants to respond openly and

freely

Here are some guidelines, which you should follow when conducting a focus

group.

Preparing for a focus group

Â· Identify and define the issue for discussion - try to start with broad

themes that can then be refined. Write down the key areas that you

want to explore. If these areas are not brought out naturally by the

group it is permissible to prompt them, though you must not lead them

to any conclusions.

Â· Aim to develop no more than 5 or 6 questions. These should be open

in nature not closed, to avoid provoking a set response. Closed

questions are of limited use as they often produce a yes or no reply

which does not lead to any further debate. Develop your questions

along the themes you have identified.

Â· Choose the participants to be as representative as possible. Do NOT

select people who you think will give you the answers you want to hear.

They should be as random as possible, given the topic you are

discussing. You should choose between 6 and 12 people. This gives

you enough people so that individuals do not feel signalled out and not

too many that they do not get an adequate opportunity to record their

views. Allow yourself enough time to recruit your members as it can be

more difficult than you think! Offer an incentive where possible e.g. a

book token, additional print quota etc.

Â· Do prepare some icebreakers to get people talking. For example at a

focus group for international students get the students to say a little

about their country and background to help people to relax.

Â· Always follow up your initial contact with a formal invitation and contact

them a few days before the focus group meets to remind them.

Planning the session

Â· Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the session and if possible try and conduct

them over lunch as this is often a convenient time. Try and provide

refreshments as this acts as an ice-breaker and allows people to chat.

Lunch is a better incentive when recruiting participants than tea, coffee

and biscuits.

Â· Hold sessions in as good accommodation as possible. Make sure

everyone can see one another and provide name tags for everyone. Sit

people round a round table if possible.

Â· Try and keep the discussions flowing when the focus groups begin.

Make sure everyone gets a chance to contribute. Keep everyone

focussed - do NOT let people go off on a tangent that is not relevant.

Try NOT to allow any one person to dominate the discussion -

especially YOU. Always start your next question with a different person

than previously and alternate which way you go round the table. Try

and get a conclusion to the debate and if necessary summarise what

has been said.

Â· Have a clear agenda in mind which should include the following:

- welcome

- introductions

- agenda

- aim of the focus group meeting

- ground rules

- questions and answers

Â· Choose 6 - 10 people to participate in the focus group excluding the

organisers. Try to choose people who you think will participate but also

try and get as wide a cross section of participants as possible ( easier

said than done) Always offer an incentive e. g. book token, print quota

etc.

Â· Record the session both electronically as well as taking notes. It is very

difficult to transcribe the sessions if you do not use both methods as it

can very difficult to recall exactly what took place.

Â· Transcribe the sessions as soon as possible so that your finds are as

accurate as possible.

Â· Provide a list of the questions to all members of the group, including

helpers at the session.

Â· Carefully plan the questions. Always start with a question that should

elicit a positive answer e.g. What do you like about LSS's facilities?

Â· If one person seems to be dominating the discussions then call on

others for their opinions. Give each person a set time to answer e.g a

minute each.

Resources

Top Categories

Product

Company