Have you ever wondered how to quickly collect the points of view, thoughts and feelings on a certain topic that interests you within your community? Here's how it's done.
Steps
Step 1. Choose a target group in your community:
you will have to involve him in the study. Do you want to know the thoughts of teenagers in your city? Know your classmates' opinion on sports? Are you trying to get feedback from your customers?
Step 2. Narrow target groups to measurable segments of the population
Unless you have a lot of funds, you won't be able to get a representative sample of what all Italian teenagers think about using condoms. And then, if you really want to represent the opinions of a certain age group, you should do a survey instead.
Step 3. Advertise your study using the method most appropriate for your target group
The following steps will give you some ideas.
Step 4. Send invitations to interested groups via social networks such as Facebook:
this will help you promote the event.
Step 5. Talk to employees of organizations that serve the entire community and that deal with the groups that interest you
Explain to them the importance of your focus group.
Step 6. Ask them to notify possible members of the focus group by post or e-mail, including the time, date and topic to be discussed
Step 7. If you ask to notify these people by post, you must provide all the necessary envelopes and stamps to do so
Step 8. If they do it via e-mail, send a message with the appropriate information, which they can then forward to the participants
Step 9. Give them billboards to hang in their offices and brochures to distribute to their customers
Step 10. Send e-mails or letters to your customers inviting them to the focus group if the target is made up of your customers
Step 11. Hang up billboards to advertise the meeting in your office if the target population is made up of your customers
Step 12. Invite members of the target population in person to participate in your focus group
Ask them to bring friends. If possible, write down their cell phone numbers and send an SMS reminder on the day of the meeting.
Step 13. Post placards at community centers, churches, mosques, temples, and schools to advertise the focus group
Step 14. Arrange the meeting somewhere large enough, accessible, and quiet so that everything runs smoothly
Step 15. If possible, prepare some refreshments
Step 16. Make sure the meeting space is perfectly ready before the group arrives
Preferably, arrange the chairs in a circle.
Step 17. Prepare an introduction that concisely explains why you brought this group together
Step 18. Do not assume that everyone is familiar with the topic of discussion
Make an introduction to explain it.
Step 19. Prepare questions to ask the group to conduct the meeting
Step 20. Now, take these questions and rewrite them to simplify them
Keep doing this until you can make them easy to understand. Avoid jargon or terms that require definition.
Step 21. If you have to use a word that requires a definition, be sure to explain it thoroughly
Step 22. Talk to someone who doesn't know the subject at all
Ask her to take a look at the introduction and questions and tell you if they are clearly written. If not, make them even easier.
Step 23. You could propose images or videos to the participants, asking them to communicate their impressions
For example, if you want to know what teenagers think about alcohol consumption, you could show photos of drunk teenagers at a party, in a group or alone; after observing them, they should tell you their opinions. The trick is to make sure that the photographs offer a true representation of how young people drink.
Step 24. Make a contingency plan in case the technology tools fail you, or the video or PowerPoint presentation doesn't work
Step 25. On the day of the meeting, check the salon thoroughly and in advance to make sure everything is ready and in place
Step 26. Test all equipment; for example, open the presentation in PowerPoint to see if the program works
Step 27. If it is difficult to get to the meeting place, put up signs to make it easier for participants to walk
Step 28. Put a sign on the door to identify the focus group
Step 29. Set up a table at the entrance to the room, where you will place white cards; the participants will fill in them with their name and will pin them to the shirt
Also, add a sheet, on which to write (if they want) your name and e-mail address.
Step 30. Ask someone to sit in front of this table and greet the attendees as they arrive
He should ask them to put up the tag and sign the paper.
Step 31. Start the meeting with the introduction
Step 32. Ask participants to introduce themselves
Step 33. Propose an ice-breaking game so that participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas
34 Explain that there are no right or wrong answers:
it is a session that allows you to exchange ideas.
35 Indicates how the meeting will develop
36 Ask the questions that will enable you to conduct the study
37 Encourage participants to expand their answers by asking questions such as “What do you think is the cause?
"," Who would see it differently from you? "," What do others think? "," Can you explain what you mean by this statement? "," Does anyone else see it this way? "," Anything to add? ", etc.
38 If one person dominates the conversation and does not allow others to intervene, pass an object between the participants:
only the person holding it can speak. When it finishes, pass it on to another one.
39 If the topic is sensitive, the group is large, or people don't respond, break it up into smaller groups
Let the participants discuss with each other, then ask each group to introduce themselves to the others and explain their conclusions. The other groups will be able to add further opinions at the end of this intervention.
40 Write all the answers on a flip chart
41 Avoid changing the words of the participants, otherwise you risk not accurately recording their opinion
Do you have to summarize a point of view? Ask each of them if you have written it down well.
42 Summarize it by reworking all the contributions of the people
43 Explain what you will do with their opinions:
you could email the search results or arrange another meeting. 44 Thank the participants and explain why it was so important to receive their input.
Advice
- Always check all equipment.
- Try to always have a contingency plan available - technology can abandon you.
- Start with a topic that is as easy and intuitive as possible, and then gradually increase the complexity.
- Do not ask the participants why they said something: they could create misunderstandings, maybe they think you are attacking their point of view.
Warnings
- Focus groups should definitely be conducted by skilled moderators, because otherwise you run the risk of finding yourself with 50 disoriented looks from questions that are obviously not understandable.
- Focus group members could give false information or offensive opinions. You will have to gently correct these people, without finding yourself arguing with fervor.
