It Doesn't Take Much to Bring Back Memories

Recently I was invited to attend some focus groups with an old friend. Focus groups have never been one of my preferred types of research and this experience brought back memories about why I do not necessarily like them. I use them and recommend their use for selective situations. It seems, however, that focus groups are the preferred research protocol for many, regardless of the type of problem being addressed.

Well, after one day of groups after over six years since my last, I have not changed my mind about them and the effectiveness of the research. The following are some of my observations cultivated over the years.

The Back room:

-- It seems that the people that should be there, aren't.
-- The people present generally leave the impression that they would like to be elsewhere.
-- There should be at least one bowl of peanuts and M&M's for every seat. I get tired of constantly passing the bowls back and forth.
-- There is always one person who is more worried about what they are going to serve for dinner than what is going on in the focus group room.
-- Some people never stop eating.
-- There is someone who is always on the phone either to the agency, their office or changing flight reservations.
-- Another person will be shuffling papers while working on a report due the next day.
-- It is very unfortunate if a senior member of management decides to attend the sessions. Everyone is distracted form the session while the senior holds court.

Participants:

-- They are all strangers to one another. (Nobody knows me so I can say what I please.)
-- Who is going to get the award for the strongest role player in the group?
-- Who is going to win the "Expert" award? There is one in every group.
-- How many of our group could we classify as professional panel members?

Recruiting:

-- How did the agency compile their list of potential participants?
-- Will we have at least a 35% acceptance rate for participation?
-- Did they post recruitment signs in a public place like a mall? (Yep, they do that. I have seen them.)

Protocol:

-- We will spend the first 30 minutes of the time (usually 1 hour and 45 minutes) listening to the participants talk about who they are and their family composition. I know we have to find a way to get each one to speak up, but could we not use something more relevant?
-- We will convince the participants that they are the experts and we need their advice. Yes, it is usually true and our efforts usually result in respondents saying things they think they should say and not what they really do and/or believe.

Location:

-- They are on our turf and not on their own. I believe this plays an important part in the role playing of participants. This can be to our advantage or our disadvantage.

Moderators:

-- Moderators are, as a general rule, well trained in the art of facilitating but unfortunately they are not well versed in the specifics of our business and therefore not in a position to delve into specifics as a result of an unplanned response. A friend, a professional moderator, has addressed this problem through the use of an "interactive earpiece system" for effective communication between the moderator and the Back room. The earpiece gives the client instantaneous communication with the moderator, thereby eliminating the costly delays in waiting for the break to follow up or the use of a messenger that interrupts and breaks the continuity of the session. For those interested, the moderator is Mr. Tim Urmston of Focal Point, (513) 674-0637.

Cost:

-- All this for approximately $3,000 per session.

SOLUTION:

-- Do away with the Buckram.
-- Have the researchers and the participants in the same room.
-- Conduct the sessions on the participants' turf and not ours. Use one of the respondent's homes as the meeting site.
-- Recruit so that the respondents know one another.
-- Do the sessions for about $200 or less. A small donation to the host for the use of the house and refreshments and a small gift to each participant.
 

My apologies to my friends that do focus groups for a living. It is just my experience and my opinion.