Eliot & Associates
Listening for and capturing people's thoughts, experiences, and lives . . . in their own words
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Group Method
"Susan Eliot's work conducting focus groups with our physician specialists has been of great value for our project team. I'm impressed with her talent for synthesizing useful information, insights, and perspectives into meaningful and concise reports. In our initial work meetings, it was evident she had extensive knowledge with focus group research which she successfully applied to our project needs and objectives. Collaborating and working with her was easy and, most importantly, she made it an enjoyable experience for our team." --Mirsa Douglas, Texas Newborn Screening Performance Measure Project, Texas Department of Health Services
Focus Group vs Survey
Surveys are good for capturing spontaneous responses but it takes the safe and nurturing environment of a focus group before people can tap into deeper thoughts, opinions, and insights. When well-executed, a focus group creates an accepting environment that puts people at ease, allowing them to answer questions in their own words and add meaning to their answers. Focus groups have an advantage over surveys in their ability to capture people's underlying explanations and motivations - often critical to understanding issues and making wise decisions. A focus group is a better tool to use when you don't, and can't, know all the questions to ask until you start asking a few. The possibility of discovering something not thought of before is a clear advantage of focus groups. What focus groups lack in breadth, they make up for in depth. More Than a Casual Group A good focus group requires detailed planning - a lot more than it takes to merely invite a few key individuals to share their thoughts about a particular topic in a casual group format. I rigorously implement the little understood structures that underlie quality focus groups to create the "right conditions" for smart groups. When it's done right, participants never realize what it takes to create the relaxed, comfortable environment they experience.
Design An ideal focus group is comprised of six to ten individuals. I lead participants through an open discussion with the goal of generating the maximum number of ideas from as many different people in the time allotted. Focus groups run anywhere from 45 to 120 minutes. I work with you to craft a set of focus group questions that are open-ended, short and to the point, non-threatening, and unambiguously worded. Ten is the maximum number of questions I recommend. All groups are asked to answer the same set of questions in an open and spontaneous format. It takes more than one focus group on any one topic to produce valid results. I've found that it usually requires a minimum of three focus groups on any one topic to reach saturation - the point where we no longer hear anything new. The number of groups required for valid findings also depends on the number of subsets you would like me to analyze within each group.
Arrangement I consider several variables in helping you determine the composition of every focus group. Upfront, we will sit down together to establish a list of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Once criteria are established, we will discuss a number of different recruitment methods that we can consider to attract an adequate pool of qualified individuals. To ensure adequate participation, we will over-invite by approximately 20 percent.
Facilitation Though counter-intuitive, the best focus group moderator is one who is a good listener - not a good talker. I pride myself on my ability to simultaneously listen with sensitivity, probe and prompt until responses are exhausted, manage challenging group dynamics, and keep my personal views outside of the discussion. Sometimes the best way to get participants to open up is to have someone who is indigenous to the group facilitate the discussion. In those situations, I will work with you to select an appropriate candidate who I will train to facilitate the focus group while I co-facilitate.
Analysis In order for participant thoughts and opinions to be useful, they must be culled into essential meaning units using a systematic and verifiable process. To accomplish that, each separate thought or idea is entered line by line into a computerized program to facilitate the organization and coding of each. As major themes and categories are distilled, the data is re-coded and re-sorted until a clear picture emerges. Because
those who conduct focus groups are the ones best equipped to analyze the
data, I do for both. Physical presence provides the subtle
cues and tacit information unavailable to those outside the room. This
inevitably engenders a richer and more thoughtful analysis. Report My goal is to give voice to participants in a way that conveys the spirit and integrity of their contributions. I leave myself and my interpretations out of the report in trying to make sense of the findings. My reports are heavily strewn with direct quotes because I believe participants are their own best spokespersons. Depending on your intended use, I can produce the type of report that best meets your needs: Full Written Report: Includes executive summary, background, purpose, methodology, group demographics, findings, limitations, and recommendations. Categorical Report: Includes bulleted findings with substantiating quotes organized by major themes and categories. Transcript Report: Includes unanalyzed data in the format you prefer.
An Example Below is an example of a focus group study I conducted, including the report. (See more examples of focus group work I've done.) Physician Perspectives on Inadequate Pregnancy Weight Gain, A Study Conducted for the Colorado Department of health and Environment
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Eliot & Associates susan.eliot@gmail.com Copyright 2005 - 2011 All rights reserved