Typically, an in-person focus group will be held in a professional focus group facility. At such a facility there will be the focus group room itself with a table large enough for 10-12 people, microphones and a video camera for recording the discussion.

Clients seated in the observation room are able to view the proceedings through the one-way mirror without being seen by participants. They are also able to listen in to the discussion, which can also be recorded on audio and video tape, and even onto a DVD.

In the event one needs to conduct focus group research in a community without a professional focus group facility, arrangements can be made to utilize two rooms in a community center or hotel, with a video camera in one room broadcasting the focus group onto a monitor in the second (observation) room. The Research & Planning Group has arranged and conducted many focus groups outside of a professional focus group setting.

The Methodology

The Benefits

In-Person Focus Groups—The Methodology

• The following are the typical steps of an in-person focus group:

• Meetings between the client and RPG to determine

  • The research objectives of the study,

  • The questions to be probed, and

  • The profile of the participants;

• Based on the above input, a discussion guide is developed by RPG and submitted to the client for review;
• RPG’s professional staff recruits participants according to the agreed-upon profile. Typically, participants are paid a cash incentive (co-op) for their cooperation;
• RPG contracts for a professional focus group site, according to the needs of the study;
• Each focus group session lasts 75 to 90 minutes and is followed by a debriefing by the focus group moderator with the client team observing;
• Participants are paid their incentive immediately following the group session;
• RPG analyzes the information learned and prepares a full, written report within 10 days of the final focus group session.

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In-Person Focus Groups—The Benefits

• The benefits of conducting focus groups include:

• Clients get to hear and see the research first-hand

• The brainstorming that occurs among participants allows for a deep discussion of the issues

• The open-ended format provides a “blank canvas” for the development of new ideas

• Consumer language and terminology is discovered and better understood

• Clients learn the reasons why their customers think the way they think about issues, and what they need to hear to form an opinion

• In most cases, findings can be developed more quickly than from quantitative research

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