Focus Groups: A Step-by-Step Guide (PDF format)
How do professionals effectively gather and distill data critical to decisions and successful change? They use Focus Groups.
Definition
“Focus group” is the label given to a special type of group interview that is structured to gather detailed opinions and knowledge about a particular topic from selected participants.
Using techniques such as questioning and summarizing, a facilitator stimulates discussions that uncover concerns and opinions held by groups of people about particular issues. Analysis of the date synthesizes these concerns and opinions. Used alone or combined with quantitative data such as surveys, the information guides choices about the best course of action.
Benefits
- The focus group process provides a structured, organized method to collect valuable input from organization members. It is a quick, effective way to stimulate new ideas and simultaneously build interest and commitment to change.
- Focus group data reveals more information than do surveys.
- Focus group discussions detailed qualitative data, enabling managers to understand an issue in greater depth.
- The focus group process enables participants to contribute without much preparation or effort. They feel “heard.”
Applications
Quality improvement leaders, human resources professionals, internal communication specialists, and other facilitators of organizational change must constantly assist internal clients in the collection, synthesis, and use of important data. All types of organizations — large or small, producer of products or provider of service, profit or nonprofit — benefit by using focus groups to collect data.
This step-by-step guide provides:
- A simple yet comprehensive outline of the focus group process
- Descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of various participants
- An overview of technology tools and Internet applications for focus groups
- Practical tips for conducting successful data collection and following through on results