A brief how-to for conducting focus groups to improve your organization's communications

1. Getting strategic: Using focus groups to
improve communications
Quisto Settle, Lauri M. Baker, Joy Rumble

2. +
Why would we use focus
groups as practitioners?

3. +
Why?
Allows you to gather information in a social setting, which is how people will likely
interact with your work in real-life situations.
To gather in-depth
data on the
customer
experience
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Perceptions
- Motivations
Provide data to
enhance, change
or create a product
or service targeted
at a key customer
group
Gather customer
insight into
current or
prospective
products,
services or ideas

4. When?
 Need more answers than “yes we like it” or “no
we don’t”
 You have “always done it”
 Seeking a new direction
 New branding
 New campaign
 New name
 Desire to improve the customer experience
 Have defined goals for improvement

5. Examples
 Develop a new website to share Extension’s
story
 Determine perceptions of new agent training
 Determine audience perceptions of website and
social media (including usability)
 Feedback from students on new
marketing/recruitment materials
 Feedback/planning on a program

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Preparing for focus groups

7. Preparing for focus groups –
Logistics
 Develop a realistic timeline
 Secure dates and locations
 Explore incentives
 Identify target participants
 Secure research team
 Moderator
 Note taker
 Transcriptionist if needed

8. Preparing for focus groups –
Recruitment
 Consider capacity and funds
 Establish screening criteria
 Obtain contact information
 Develop a recruitment strategy
 Participant identification
 Screening questions
 Points of contact
 Incentives

9. Preparing for focus groups –
Moderators Guide
 Establish purpose and objectives
 Brainstorm with research team
 Format
 Introduction
 Relationship building
 Use a funnel approach
 Include probes
 Make sure questions are open ended
 Consider participatory approaches
 Be realistic with timing
 Include a break if applicable
 Conclude with summarizing question, member checking, de-briefing

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Preparing for focus groups – Day of
focus groups
 Potential Supplies
 Laptops (each note taker)
 Moderators guide
 Files
 Hard copy (Large)
 Consent Forms
 List of participants
 Audio recorders
 Extra batteries
 Incentives
 Pens/markers
 Name tents
 Power cords/Powers strip
 Refreshments
 Projector/screen
 Video camera (tripod)
 Signage
 Other materials as applicable

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Conducting Focus Groups

12. Moderating
 Listen
 Guide conversation
 Care
 Pace
 Rephrasing questions
 Give people time to think
 Follow-up questions
 Be yourself

13. Assistant Moderator/Note Taker
 Listen
 Good notes
 Do not react
 Aid analysis
 Catch late arrivals
 Some ask questions, some don’t (know ahead of
time)
 Summary/Debrief

14. Interacting Before Session
Small talk with participants
 Build rapport
 Only share neutral info, no matter what is asked
Introverts may need to charge batteries

15. Not Swaying Responses
Do not participate
 Nonverbal gestures
 Verbal responses
Be careful answering the questions

16. Talkative Participants
Types
 Expert
 Dominant talkers
 Disparaging other participants
Dealing with them
 Interrupting/Redirecting
 Placement
 Remind of rules
 Removal

17. Interrupting/Stopping Ramblers
First
 Avoid eye contact
 Stop writing
If that doesn’t work
 Catching when they breathe
 Adjust to the group
Do not interrupt in a story or during
emotional statements

18. CLCE story

19. FFS story

20. Quiet Participants
Eye contact
Encourage them
Listen for their responses

21. Bad Information Shared by
Participants
If information is incorrect, is it harmful?
 If not, leave it alone
 If it is, address it at the end of the session

22. Less Than Ideal Situations
 People going off topic
 Talking over each other/Interrupting each other
 Too much to cover/Pushing the pace/Skipping sections
 Distractions (heat/air, noise, extra people in room)
 People not showing up (or showing up when they’re not
supposed to)
 Equipment
 Making do with imperfect room

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Analyzing Focus Groups

24. Timeline
Pay attention during sessions
Debrief with anyone who helped moderate
Transcribing (if necessary)
Coding/Themes

25. Coding/Themes
 Different options
 Code each focus group start to finish
 Code all focus groups by question
 Look for repeating responses
 Look for different responses
 Merge and split codes/themes as you go
 Define boundaries/relationships of codes and
themes

26. Options
Highlighting
Cutting
Computers
 weftQDA - free

27. Formulating Results
Ensure that depth of analysis is appropriate
Provide a report
 Detail results
 Supporting quotes
 Research-based recommendations
Present findings to stakeholders
Plan next steps

28. Implementing Recommendations
Try to adjust communication based on major
themes
May have to implement in stages
 Low hanging fruit first
 Make large changes as cost and time allows
 Reevaluate regularly (opinions and technology
change)
 Ex: Facebook advertisements

29. Implementing Recommendations
Know when to give up
 Just because it is a great idea or great program
doesn’t mean your audience wants it
 Leave out your personal opinions – rely on the
data
Focus on participants wants, needs,
motivations, and barriers
 Don’t ignore the loud mouth – they are the most
vocal in real life too (and on social media)

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Questions? Discussion