Further information and activities
Focus Groups
Focus groups are a useful research, communication and
consultation tool. They can be very useful in gauging
perceptions of different groups of employees and other
service users, facilitating discussion of issues in the workplace
and assessing progress.
They can help managers to:
- Test out new ideas
- Identify mismatches between business needs and goals
and staff needs and goals
- Consult with employees
- Discuss and identify changes
- Assess the impact of changes
Preparation
The first point about preparation is to be very clear about
why a focus group is being held, what you hope to achieve
from it and how you will use the information. Several issues
need to be resolved before you start:
- Composition: A focus group works best when there are
between 8 and 10 participants. Too many, and they become
difficult to control and some members will struggle to
contribute. Think also about the mix of senior and junior
people. Will the presence of senior managers inhibit the
participation of junior staff?
- Timing: Allow at least 90 minutes for a focus group. Tell
people in advance so they can clear their diaries. Even
focus group discussions that start slowly become difficult
to finish, so it is advisable to leave plenty of time.
- Advance warning: make sure participants are briefed
(preferably through a short note). They should know why
the focus groups are being conducted, how long to allow,
that their comments will remain confidential/unattributable,
that they will need no preparation and what the results
will be used for.
- Getting the questions right: make sure you know what
questions you are going to ask. Think about the order
(e.g. from general to specific) and the number you have.
Don't have too many. Write them down as part of your
script.
- Recording focus group discussion: you will need a good
record of what is said. There are two main options. The
first is to take notes manually. Ideally, one person should
lead the focus group and another should take notes. If
this is not possible, the facilitator should take notes. This
is not easy to do well and requires practice. The second
option is to tape the focus group. This obviously results
in a transcript of the discussion. However, some people
are sensitive about the use of tape recording and you
should ask for permission in advance.
Conducting the focus group
There should be several stages to this:
- Introductions: you should introduce the facilitators and
remind people of the purpose of the exercise and take
any questions. Participants should then be asked to
introduce themselves.
- Questioning: Only ask 'open' questions such as 'How do
you feel about colleagues smoking in the workplace?'
rather than 'closed' questions (i.e. those which can only
be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'). For example, 'Are you
upset about colleagues smoking in the workplace'? Open
questions make for better discussion.
- Use probes not prompts: don't lead the discussion. You
can use 'probes' to find out more e.g. 'could you give me
an example of that?' or 'could you say a little more about
that?' or 'what effect has that had on you?' These keep
the discussion going and encourage people to expand on
their answer.
- Silence can be a good probe too! A prompt is not advisable.
It is more 'leading' than a probe and is wrong to use as
it puts words in people's mouths. For example, 'so that
made you more motivated?' or 'so you are saying that
this is not acceptable?' These lead participants too much
and should be avoided.
- Involve everyone: in every focus group there are dominant
types who like to contribute a lot, and passive types who
are more comfortable saying little or nothing. As a facilitator,
your job involves monitoring the pattern of contributors
and ensuring everyone gets the opportunity to contribute.
While speaking up is not compulsory, it is important not
to let a few people dominate. Watch the body language.
Ask quiet people if they'd like to add anything. Be polite
but firm with the dominant type.
Closure
You should allow yourself 15 minutes to bring a focus group
to an end. Often this is necessary as the discussion has built
up a momentum of its own, and you need to apply the brakes
early. Closure can often be quite tricky! Here are some steps
you should consider:
- Signal your last question - tell them when the last question
is coming so that they understand that the fun is nearly
over.
- Close down answers to the last question by asking for any
final comments.
- Use your own body language to confirm that things are
coming to a close (collect your papers, stop writing, move
your seat back from the table, stand up).
- If all else fails, you will have to politely interrupt and close
the discussion.
- Always be effusive in your thanks, even if it hasn't gone
very well.
