HOW TO PLAN AND
LEAD A FOCUS GROUP

"What do our customers want?"

"How do we know that our services or products are on target?"

 Under the Magnifying Glass
Like a magnifying glass, a Focus Group is a tool that enables a more detailed exploration of key questions. Focus Groups invite a small group of people to exchange ideas and opinions on a specific topic. Both marketing pros and community development practitioners can use them to investigate customer and community priorities.

Focus Groups can also help sponsors: 1) discover what stakeholders think, believe, or feel about current services; 2) generate productive new program approaches; and 3) provide data to demonstrate agency impact. With skillful planning, in-house Focus Group leaders can build engagement with their customers and broader support for the organization’s initiatives.

This two-day workshop introduces a practical “Do-it-Yourself” method to plan and lead an effective Focus Group. Participants will:

> Watch a Focus Group in action, listen to results, and identify what it takes to lead a successful group;
> Explore a five-step process for planning and leading effective Focus Groups;
> Discuss desired outcomes for their organization's research, the range of data sources which will be part of the effort, and what Focus Group data will contribute;
> Identify desired Focus Group participants;
> Join a team to plan a Focus Group;
> Generate questions for a Focus Group to identify customer priorities, or for a Focus Group to assist evaluation;
> Use Pointed Questions to guide Focus Group discussion;
> Practice rapport-building, facilitation, recording, and group management strategies;
> Assign Focus Group roles, review scripts, gain confidence, and set the stage for success.

Instructors Susan Berry, MA, and Randy Thomas, Ph.D. are experienced facilitators who will coach new Focus Group leaders to find their own strengths and apply them in an atmosphere of purposeful experimentation. The result: learning that is fast, fun, and targeted to results. Each person will also receive a manual for review of communication and group leadership methods. You will leave this workshop with deeper appreciation of a powerful community research tool, and how to use it effectively.

Techniques covered in this workshop can provide a cost-effective, high value information source in needs assessment and results evaluation activities covered in Vision-to-Action Collaboration Conference,  Consulting Tools, Teaming Up for SMART Results, and Team Up Tools For Team Leaders.

GSA Contract # GS-10F-0318R
For more information, please contact us. We look forward to working with you!