Guide to running focus groups
A focus group (or group discussion) is a small group of invited participants who share their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and ideas on a certain subject. The group is guided through the discussion by a moderator. The event is usually recorded, with the respondents’ permission, so that it can be revisited for detailed analysis.
Focus groups are a popular tool in qualitative research and are useful for developing deeper insights and for getting rich data in participants’ own words.
Participants are able to prompt each other and to build on one another’s responses. They might come up with ideas they might not have thought of in a 1-on-1 interview; they can challenge each other to create debate. Focus groups are also a good vehicle for creativity.
Beware
A few dominant focus group participants can skew the session. Strong personality can silence other members who may either withdraw or simply agree with him or her.
The group may react negatively to the moderator or subject matter, and may become uncooperative or even hostile.
Groups can be difficult to steer or control, and time can be lost to irrelevant topics.
Role of the moderator
· Direct the flow of the discussion and ensure the relevant issues are covered in the available time (it helps to have a watch visible on the table or a clock on the wall in the moderator’s eye line so that time can be watched subtly)
· Create a relaxed atmosphere that encourages all participants to express their thoughts and talk freely (see moderator tips)
· Manage the group carefully, which means restraining more vocal respondents diplomatically and involve quieter respondents sensitively
· Recognise important points that arise spontaneously and encourage the group to explore these further
· Record the discussion or have an assistant taking detailed notes
Practicalities
Number of participants
o A standard focus group is normally made up of 6 – 10 people, small enough for a manageable discussion but large enough to have a range of views represented.
o You may want to recruit a couple more people than you need just in case someone cancels at short notice or does not turn up, e.g. recruit 10 for 8, 8 for 6, etc. However, clear communication and directions to the venue, as well as reminder e-mails help attendance so over-recruitment is not always necessary.
o Alternatively you could keep a couple of reserve names that you could go back to if someone drops out.
Profile of participants and number of groups
o Respondents are recruited to the group according to certain criteria relevant to the topic under discussion.
o A group should be fairly homogenous. Participants need to be able to relate to each other and to feel that they have certain things in common. But it is also important to ensure a level of representativeness.
o Example: You may want to speak to a group of undergraduate students about their use of a facility or service. It may be important that you have different year groups represented as well as different subject areas, i.e. you do not just want to speak to first year students studying management. You could have one group of first year students, one of second year students and one with finalists. Within each group there should be representation of a variety of subject areas and ideally a gender split. To give a different example, if you would like to look specifically at differences in views between UK students and students coming from a different country you may want to set up a couple of groups with Home students and a couple of groups with EU/International students.
o The number of groups will depend on the complexity of the topic, the range of respondents needed, and constraints of time and budget.
Length
o Focus groups usually last an hour to an hour and a half, allowing to explore a range of issues in some depth.
Venue
o Make sure respondents have no difficulty getting to it.
o Use a quiet room with few distractions. Arrange people in a circle (possibly around a small table) to encourage an informal atmosphere.
o Ensure that the physical environment is comfortable, not too hot or too cold, with adequate lighting, comfortable seats, etc.
o Check the room before groups commences, check there are enough chairs, writing materials and flip charts if needed, electric points for your recording equipment if needed, batteries for recorder, window opening for fresh air and sufficient heating for comfort.
Invitation
o Carefully word the invitation with instructions to be punctual (latecomers can interrupt the flow of a discussion that has already started) and clear directions to the venue. It also helps to explain how many people will be there and that the discussion will be informal with no need to prepare anything.
o Send reminder e-mails the day before the focus group to maximise attendance.
Incentive
o If budget allows, offer an incentive, such as £10 to £20 as a ‘thank you’ for taking part. This will help recruitment of participants and maximise attendance.
Discussion Guide
Simply asking the group to talk about an issue is not a basis for useful insight. Good preparation is needed in terms of questions to be asked and the best order in which to ask them.
The discussion guide could vary from a simple list of topics that the moderator plans to discuss with the group to one that has more structure, with a series of questions listed under each heading.
The structure of the group discussion is important; there should be a clear introduction and ‘warm-up’ phase and a clearly signalled ending or ‘wind-down’, in line with the group dynamics mentioned later.
Introduction
A clear introduction is vital; it helps to put the respondents at ease who are likely to be nervous and a little anxious about what may be expected from them. You should cover:
o Introduce yourself (name, position, department)
o Topic and purpose of the research
o How long the group is going to take
o Explain your role as moderator (e.g. independent, guiding the discussion, listen)
o Give reassurance about confidentiality and/or anonymity, there will be no reference to names in the report
o Ask respondents’ permission to tape the discussion (most of the time participants are happy with this if you explain that the recordings will help you to reflect on the discussion, no individuals will be identified and the discussion will be summarised
o Explain how the findings will be used
o Mention some ‘ground rules’ (turn off phones, just one conversation at a time please, there are no right or wrong answers, all views are valid)
The moderator should then get everyone to speak during the first few minutes. This helps reduce any anxiety to speak or to contribute to the group, and it also demonstrates that everyone’s input is needed.
It is also important that group participants talk to each other and not just to the moderator, and it can be useful to run a warm-up exercise such respondents pairing off and introducing themselves before introducing each other to the group. As an ice-breaker you could also get them to state a quirky fact about themselves or what they had for breakfast this morning. Avoid lengthy introductions.
The main body
After some initial introductions and a ‘warm up exercise’ start with some straightforward general questions that respondents will find easy to answer or talk about, this helps to create a relaxed atmosphere.
Then move on to more specific or more difficult topics. Check that your questions give you the information you want, that they are meaningful and relevant to respondents, and that they are in an order that helps the flow of the discussion.
Open-ended, non-directive questions allow respondents to relate to the topic in their own way and to use their own language. You can also use Probing (i.e. use follow-up questions to clarify meaning or to encourage to answer in more detail) and Prompting (repeating the question or re-phrasing it).
You could also use projective and enabling techniques to help the discussion along. These are indirect forms of questioning and get respondents to ‘project’ their ideas, feelings, emotions and attitudes in completing the task. This might include card sorting activities, word or picture associations, creating collages, sentence completion, etc. The task should be simple and straight forward, the moderator needs to explain clearly what needs to be done.
To encourage discussion you could also ask group members to think about an issue for a few minutes and write down their thoughts, then ask each participant to tell the others about one of their responses, write down responses on flip chart, once everyone has given one response, see if there are more to come, then discuss responses.
Wind-down phase
Signal the end of the discussion about 10-15 minutes before the end. You could present a summary of the main points and ask for final comments. Ask respondents if there is anything that they have not said yet but wish to do so, or ask what one thought or idea the respondents would like the moderator to take away from the session.
Moderator Tips
o All questions should be open and neutral. The moderator should encourage free-flowing discussion around relevant issues.
o Phrase questions and issues in words people will be familiar with
o Consider timings for each section but remember that you can be flexible to a degree, depending on how the group goes
o Let participants know that their contributions are valuable (through words as well as body language)
o Avoid personal confrontation – allow the group to police itself (e.g. “do others in the group agree?”)
o Use differences of opinion as a topic of discussion – the moderator should avoid taking sides
o If one person tries to dominate, encourage other members to speak in turn
o Disagreement and debate are useful as they might lead to new and interesting ideas, but have to be managed carefully.
o Avoid interviewing friends in the same group as they can form cliques, it might help to split them up and change seating position
o Finish on time! it helps to have a watch visible on the table or a clock on the wall in the moderator’s eye line so that time can be watched subtly.
Group Stages
Group discussions tend to go through a number of different stages and it is worth bearing these in mind when designing the discussion guide. There are many different models of group dynamics but the one that has gained popularity is called Tuckman’s Stages (Tuckman, 1965): Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing – Mourning.
Forming
This is the early stage when strangers sit down together as a group. The moderator should get everyone to speak during the first few minutes; this helps reduce any anxiety to speak or to contribute to the group, and it also demonstrates that everyone’s input is needed. It is also important that group participants talk to each other and not just to the moderator, and it can be useful to run a warm-up exercise such respondents pairing off and introducing themselves before introducing each other to the group. As an ice-breaker you could also get them to state a quirky fact about themselves or what they had for breakfast this morning. Avoid lengthy introductions.
Storming
Storming is the stage the group works through in order to establish how to relate to one another and how to relate to the task. Respondents will size each other up and try and establish the boundaries that are accepted.
Norming
Norming is when the group settles down and respondents see that they have something in common. The atmosphere will be relaxed and the main work of the group can begin.
Performing
This is where the majority of the work will be done and when the more critical questions are being asked. You can also introduce tasks at this stage.
Mourning
The moderator should signal the end of the group and build in a wind-down stage. If respondents are not given the chance to go through this they can feel negative and used. With about 5 minutes to go, the moderator could ask some wrapping-up questions such as ‘Anything else you’d like to say that you haven’t mentioned yet?’