Module 15:

Focus Groups


Overview

This module focuses on one of our research tools: focus groups.

 

What are focus groups? We'll cover what focus groups are, how they're designed, and what sort of information we can gain from them.

 

Learning Outcomes: You’ll be able to help host, design, and structure focus groups. You know the mentees better than we can - your insight is crucial to an effective plan for the focus groups!

 

What we will do: We'll read about focus groups and see some examples from the real world, then watch a video to learn more about why we use them. 

What are focus groups? 

We've already covered interviews, one-on-one conversations with a participants. You can think of focus groups as expanding that interview into a group. This is the most basic premise of focus groups: holding a conversation with multiple people at once to get differing perspectives! 

Focus groups aren't just a conversation though. Typically, they start with an idea or concept introduced to the group. The facilitator, or host, prompts for feedback or ideas on the topic. 

Focus groups are also surprisingly common! One example is a company seeking feedback on their latest ad campaign. They'll sit down a group of people, show them an ad and ask them how it makes them feel, what they think might work better, and other ideas surrounding it. 

You've probably seen another example in a TV ad or show before - one that comes to my mind are the old Febreze commercials where they show folks in a room with a stinky couch and ask them to see tell what they smell. While this focus group is a little different than our planned ones, they're still a real world example! Take a second to watch here.

How do they work?

One of the biggest advantages of focus groups is that they allow the group to flesh out their own ideas based off what they hear around them. Sometimes in a one-on-one environment, it can be difficult to remember things or explain things in the language we want. Focus groups give space and a backboard of sorts for people to think about what they're trying to say, as well as giving an environment where participants can feel safe sharing their opinions and experiences.

What are we aiming to learn from the focus groups?

We want to hear from the mentees and learn from them about their experiences with credible messaging. This includes at least the following:

Take a moment to watch this short video. It's from the University of Derby, so be ready for an English accent jump scare!

Who's in charge?

In short: you are!

The long answer though: you're in charge of facilitating. As the video above talks about, that means allowing your participants to have a conversation, while keeping it on track. No one expects the conversation to be have perfect throughlines, just themes that stay broadly on topic. We want to do everything we can to prepare you for success in these focus groups. The next module covers more in depth instructions on how to run and manage a focus group.

Questions, Comments, or Concerns? Email sbachman@urban.org, or reach out in our group Discord! 

The Takeaway: Focus groups are kind of like a group interview. We'll use them to get detailed feedback and knowledge on what does and doesn't work in CM mentoring. They'll also leave space for opinions to come out in a way Life Event Calendars don't!