The Keys to Effective Focus Groups

Planning
A great deal of time should be spent reviewing objectives, deciding if focus groups are the best approach, determining who should be in the focus groups, choosing the right markets for holding the focus groups, deciding upon the correct respondent honoraria, and determining when they should be held.

Screener Development and Expert Recruiting
Developing a detailed screener is critical. Also, it is important to think through which types of respondents will be able to provide the best information possible. Therefore, the screener must be carefully worded to achieve the goal of obtaining the right participants. In general, the more detailed and tightly constructed the screener, the better the respondents will be. For instance, do they have the right number of years experience, are they likely to have knowledge of the products/services you are investigating, will they be expressive or reticent, and, do they have positive attitudes about being in a focus group.

Recruiting should always be done by a competent professional research company. Too often clients have the belief that recruiting is easy and that they can do it themselves. This almost always leads to failure and disappointment. Professional research companies have deep experience in recruiting respondents and have specially trained staff for this function. By using professionals the chances of a good "show rate" are vastly improved. Plus, it is important to over recruit so that full groups are assured.

Discussion Guide Development
The discussion guide is simply that - a guide, not a questionnaire. A well prepared moderator has already internalized the objectives of the research and should be able to flex and bend as the group unfolds and topics are naturally introduced. In general, the more detailed the discussion guide, the better prepared the moderator will feel. Frequently clients want to ask too many questions in a normal two hour focus group session. It is better to probe and clear fewer questions at a deeper level than to ask a multitude of questions that are only answered superficially. Remember that yes/no and simple answers are not what you are looking for. Rather, you want to understand what lies behind their answers and to understanding the process of their thinking. You are looking for insights and clarity.

Prediscussion Questionnaire
A very good tool that is often overlooked is the use of a prediscussion questionnaire. The questionnaire should be kept to no more than two pages and should contain mostly closed ended questions. For instance, it is an excellent way to collect demographic information, product usage information, and provides an independent assessment of some of the topics you will be covering in the groups without biasing the other participants. Prediscussion questionnaires are being used more and more in qualitative research and are quite illuminating in understanding the background and initial perspectives of each focus group participant.

Preparation of Observers
Observers who are not briefed and prepared are generally not good observers. Unfortunately, focus groups are not always perceived as important by many of the client side observers invited to the groups. It is best to make clear what the overall objectives are for the focus groups, provide copies of the discussion guide, explain that the focus group is not an opportunity to ask any questions that they may have an interest in, and recommend that they take careful notes at each section on the discussion guide. Furthermore, it is extremely important that one client observer be designated as the "go to" person for additional questions and to communicate with the moderator as the groups are progressing.

Providing Moderator Guidance and Feedback during the Groups
It is very important that the clients are able to provide the moderator with guidance and feedback as the groups progress. Sometimes new questions or topics will come up that were unexpected and the clients want to change the flow of the discussion. Each moderator is different in how he or she wishes to be communicated with. Some prefer the use of index cards sent into the group, others prefer to take breaks and meet face-to-face with the clients, and still others use earpieces that allow the clients to suggest additional questions as the group unfolds. There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to each approach. However, it is important that the communication method be agreed upon up front and that the clients are reasonable in the number of unplanned questions and "interruptions" they introduce to the group. We have found it best to take a break half way through the group and gather questions from the clients and at the end of the group before the group is dismissed. If proper planning has occurred and the moderator has been effectively briefed, there should not be a need for continuous new questions during the focus group discussion.

Debriefing
Immediately following the focus group discussion, a debriefing should occur. The debriefing should last at least half an hour and should cover the main topics of the discussion guide. During this time, the moderator or another person designated as "scribe" should be taking notes so that everyone who has observed and experienced the groups are able to share their insights and conclusions. The debriefing should occur after each set of groups is completed.

Topline Report
We highly recommend that a topline report be prepared by the moderator within forty-eight hours of the final focus group. The topline report is not meant to be an exhaustive summary of the focus groups, nor is it expected to contain "sound bites" or quotes from the focus group respondents. Rather, it is a bulleted summary of the key findings from the focus group that can be used by the clients to share initial results with their management team.

Final Report
The final report is usually delivered within two to three weeks after the last focus group. It contains a short summary, a short list of conclusions, and a short list of recommendations. In addition, the report contains detailed discussions on every point of the discussion guide, along with verbatim comments from the participants to support those discussion points. The final report is designed to be very action oriented with specific detailed recommendations.

ReportVideo^TM
A video recording and reporting format for summarizing the findings of focus groups, intercept interviews, and selected in-depth interviews.

Focus groups and interviews are videotaped during the fielding phase of the research project using a "broadcast quality" video format. These recordings are then edited and incorporated in a ReportVideo^TM to document the findings and observations of the qualitative research. Each ReportVideo^TM is a 10 to 15 minute CD or videotape presentation that provides powerful documentation of the responses of the focus group participants. This is a particularly powerful reporting tool that maximizes the nature of the discussions while saving important and valuable management time. An added bonus is the "reality" and "intensity" that is captured in a compact and edited form.

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