Focus Groups: How to Develop a 360* View of Your Target Audience

Council of Community Clinics: Project SMART

February 2008 Salt Lake City, Utah

This publication was supported by grant number U65/CCU923709 from

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide capacity building assistance to health departments and community based organizations.

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a focus group is NOT…a group interview; where the moderator asks questions and the participants individually provide answers.

focus groups aresuccessful whenparticipants are able to talk to each other about the topic…

advantages

produce moreinformation quicker and at less cost thanindividual interviews

limitations

results can’t be used to make statements about the wider community…

they can indicate a range of views and opinions, but not the distribution among the community

they can paint a picture of what is socially acceptable in a community rather than what is really occurring or believed…

limited value in exploring complex beliefs of individuals

in-depth interviews can be more appropriate

asking someone

to explain their behavior

and intent is a psychological impossibility

so…why is the truth so elusive?

Don’t confuse

confirmation

with consistency.

It is not always easy to tell if people are telling you the truth.

It’s not always possible for people to get in touch with their emotions or motivations.

Beyond Listening: Learning the Secret Language of Focus Groups

(Bonnie Goebert)

Consumers aren’t dishonest; it’s just that most people don’t listen the right way.

every moderator has a…

Naïve

Playful

Intellectual

Inquisitive

side

so, get over your need as a moderator to look or sound a certain way….

Prepare questions

before group.But, do not rely

on them word for word;

use them as a guideline.

No flip charts;

Use note takers

questions to ask first

What problems / issues do you want answered?

What is the exact problem?

informality

relaxed playfulness, coupled with a

professional seriousness of purpose works best.

consider the status of your participants

People reveal more when they are relaxed and having a good time.

As long as…the moderator

does not trivialize

matters

People take risks if they feel safe…

Participation is a RISK.

captive audiencessupport groups trade groupsfaith based neighborhood

convenience samplingyou select those members of the community who you think will provide you with the best information

Tell them WHAT you are going to be talking about before they agree to participate.

Screen participants

Follow up sessions (800#, email further ideas/comments)

Encourage divergent thinking and thoughts within the group.

Participants often agree with responses from peers and group leaders.

It is important to allow

participants to agree and disagree

with one another.

asking the right questions in the right way

have genuine reactions which come from interest in the person, rather than judging

keep your questions

short and simple-

no two-part questions

avoid closed ended ?s

Banish Them; unless,

your intent is to shut down the discussion.

do not word questions so people feel embarrassed or guiltywhen they answer

I knew all of you could not be agreeing with this.Thank you for sharing that!

Let’s hear more.

Makes people defensive.

Why?

Makes people shut down…Presumably, because when you don’t say it again you are implying, that’s bad.

that’s good…

avoid forcing people into answering

questions in a particular way…. because, you can’t

predict how they will answer

particular questions

non verbal

behavior

Don’t take all too literally;

arms folded across chest

pay attention

choice in vocabulary comfort expressing self sudden inarticulateness

speed of speaking emotional level

degree of energy

projective techniques

people tend to complete the incomplete

with their assumptions, attitudes, beliefs,

experiences & values

paralinguistic how people use their voice and language to

convey meaning

Non-leading

Give me a descriptionpicture, of_________.

Please sum all of this up for

the group…

What I like to hear about is how you / family / community is dealing with…

How important is that concern?

please, keep talking… please, say more...

before we move on let’s hear any burning thoughts that you just have to get out…

Let’s see, I’m having trouble

figuring out how I should word this…

I seem to be picking up on a theme here,

but I don’t want to put words in your mouths.

Let me describe what I am hearing and add to it or change it or make

it more accurate.

The most annoying thing about a condom is______.

The hardest thing about getting tested every 6 months is______.

A typical woman in my community resembles____.

Most women in my neighborhood would _____when confronted by that message.

Speaking as a average consumer, I’d have to say that your demographic

niche is very well targeted!

Project SMART

Council of Community Clinics

San Diego, CA

Julie A Minardi

jminardi@ccc-sd.org

619.542.4343