Interviewing: Focus Groups

Feb 10, 2017
2 min read

What do you think of when you hear the word interview? A setting where you and the interviewer will meet and discuss various topics. Well focus groups are pretty similar, however they consist of a grouping of individuals. Focus groups have plenty of advantages, reason being is that focus groups allow the moderator to obtain a great deal of information. The collected information in focus groups is convenient, they save time and money. However, there are also some negative outcomes that may come from hosting focus groups. For example, data gathered is not in depth as compared to individual participant interviews, participants may also be influenced by others in the focus group, participants may not express their true feelings or their express their honest opinions for the topic of discussion. Focus groups are not ideal for gathering data when trying to inquire on sensitive topics. Individuals will not be so forth coming when there is an audience. Although, focus groups save the moderator time when trying to obtain data from their participants it is not always the best option. Consider the topic you are researching and ask yourself if focus group interviews are worth hosting. If they are that is great, but if not you may always revert to other forms of interviewing. I have listed a few simple steps to help you in the event you choose to host your own focus group.

Keep your number of participants small
Small groups = No more than 7 participants
Large groups = Difficult to manage, less interaction from participants
Give an introduction
Ice breaker
Outline basic rules and guidelines
Help group to respect one another
Bully Free Zone
In the event you encounter a member of the group who is dominating or bullying the group ignore the individual, avoid eye contact or ask the individual to leave if he/she will not comply with your request.
Also ask to hear from others in the group. Do not allow one participant to dominate the focus group. Beware they are out there, they will dominate the interview if you allow it.
Stay professional
Maintain short questions
Keep your groups attention
incorporate special activities and exercises
Record your data
Bring an assistant
Videotape
audiotape