How to Conduct a Successful

Focus Group Discussion

Monishankar Prasad September 11, 2017

What is a Focus Group Discussion?

A Focus Group Discussion (or FGD) is a qualitative research method in the

social sciences, with a particular emphasis and application in the
developmental program evaluation sphere.

FGDs are a predetermined semi-structured interview led by a skilled

moderator. The moderator asks broad questions to elicit responses and
generate discussion among the participants. The moderator’s goal is to
generate the maximum amount of discussion and opinions within a given
time period.

When Should You Use a Focus Group Discussion?

Focus Group Discussions should be used when you need to understand an

issue at a deeper level than you can access with a survey. They are helpful
for adding meaning and understanding to existing knowledge, or getting at
the “why” and “how” of a topic.

A survey would be a good way to learn that

54% of the population prefers Program A.
However, a FGD is a good way to learn why
54% of the population prefers Program A.

In addition, FGDs are a good way to verify that people’s stated preferences
are the same as their actual preferences. For example, 54% of surveyed
people might say that they prefer Program A. However, talking to the
group in more detail might reveal that their actual preference is Program
B. (Many people answer surveys with what they think the questioner wants
to hear, rather than their actual opinions!)

Creating the Questionnaire

It is important to take time to carefully plan your questions. Poorly-

worded, biased, or awkward questions can derail a FGD and spoil the
quality of your data.

Keep the number of questions reasonable (under 10, if possible). This

prevents the participants from getting confused or worn out by a long
discussion.
Keep the questions simple and short. FGD participants won’t get the
chance to see the questions like in a survey.
Ensure that the wording on questions is clear. Otherwise, participants
will end up discussing the question itself, rather than what the
question was trying to ask.
Be careful that questions about sensitive issues or topics are asked
carefully. Otherwise, the FGD will stop just because people are too
embarrassed to answer.
Make sure that questions are worded in a way that cannot be
answered with a simple “Yes” or “No” answer. Using words like “Why”
and “How” will help elicit better responses from participants.
Question Types

There should be three types of questions in a Focus Group Discussion:

1. Probe questions: these introduce participants to the discussion

topic and make them feel more comfortable sharing their opinion with
the group
2. Follow-up questions: delve further into the discussion topic and
the participants’ opinions
3. Exit question: check to ensure that you didn’t miss anything

Example

Say that you run two education programs, and you’d like to know why
Program A sees better attendance than Program B. You could use the
following questions to explore this issue:

Probe Questions:

How familiar are you with our programs?

How often do you attend our programs?
What is your favorite program?

Follow-Up Questions:

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Program A?

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Program B?
What influences whether you attend a program?
What influences whether your friends attend a program?
If we were to close a program, which one should we close and why?

Exit Question:

Is there anything else you’d like to say about our programs?

Length of the Focus Group Discussion

An FGD should be between 60 and 90 minutes.

If the FGD is shorter than 60 minutes, it is often difficult to fully explore

the discussion topic. If the FGD is longer than 90 minutes, the discussion
can become unproductive (as participants get weary) and the discussion
can start to impose on participants’ time.

Selecting the Participants

Focus Group Discussion involves two to eight people on average. Greater

than eight participants becomes crowd for a FGD and is more suited for an
Advisory Board.

Creating homogeneity in the FGD group can

help participants feel more comfortable
expressing their opinions.
Finding this article useful? Share it with your friends!

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkedin

Consider the following when you are choosing your participants:

Gender: Will men and women feel comfortable discussing this topic
in a mixed-gender group? For example, women might feel
uncomfortable discussing maternal health if men are in the group.
Age: Will age affect the way that people react to this topic? For
example, a young person might feel uncomfortable talking about his
drinking habits if older people from his community are in the room.
Hierarchy: Will people of different hierarchical positions be able to
discuss this topic equally? For example, a student might feel
uncomfortable discussing her teachers if the school principal is in the
FGD.

Certain criteria should be set up front and used to screen potential FGD
participants.

Preparing for the Focus Group Discussion

 Make sure the participants have provided
informed consent verbally or ideally on a
written form, in line with research ethics best
practices.

Be sure to make the location and time of the FGD clear to all
participants.
If you anticipate some participants not showing up, invite 10-20%
extra participants. However, be careful to not create too large of a
group.
Be sure that the FGD is in a public place that is convenient for
participants. Consider the location’s proximity to public
transportation. If the FGD must happen out in the field, make it as
comfortable and convenient for participants as possible.
Make sure that the setting does not bias the information being
collected.
If it is important to collect demographic data from participants (like
age, gender, caste, etc), design a short form that takes no more than 2
or 3 minutes to complete. The form can be administered before the
focus group starts.

Moderator Techniques for Focus Group Discussions

As a moderator, it is important to ensure that all participants are
comfortable and engaged with the discussion, and that their opinions are
being heard. The following techniques are helpful:

Remain neutral to ensure that everyone feels comfortable

expressing their opinion. No nodding or shaking your head, raising
eyebrows, agreeing or disagreeing with comments, or praising or
denigrating participants.
Elicit further information from shy participants with
comments like “Can you tell me more about that?”, “Help me
understand what you mean”, or “Can you give an example?”
Deal with dominant participants by acknowledging their opinion
and soliciting other opinions. Sentences like “Thank you. What do
other people think?” can be helpful.
Paraphrase or summarize long, unclear comments by
participants. This shows participants that the moderator is actively
listening, and it helps the moderator to ensure he or she has
understood the participant’s statement.
Act spontaneously if needed. If the conversation goes in an
 unexpected, but productive direction, go with it and ask questions that
were not on the initial questionnaire. Probe deeper into new topics
and ideas, as long as the information being gained is valuable.

Other Things to Note

Use a good audio or video recorder. Your smart phone audio recorder
works well if the phone has good battery life.
Transcribe the FGD as soon as the conversation is completed, so the
nuances of the dialogue are not lost in the annals of time.
The facilitator should take notes in the midst of the dialogue and after
the episode with the participants. Reflective notes make for robust
qualitative data.
Ideally pay a participation fee to the FGD participants as they might
skip productive work to participate in the study. Make arrangements
for refreshments too.

Limitations of Focus Group Discussions

It is important to realize that there are several limitations to FGDs. First,

since FGD data is qualitative, it cannot necessarily be generalizable to the
population. This is because qualitative data is often context specific.

Second, facilitators must ensure that their bias is not evident. Otherwise, it
will veer the trajectory of the conversation. They must be also be active in
ensuring that active participants do not overpower subdued participants
during the discussion.

Curious if a Focus Group Discussion is right for your data collection?

Check out other data collection methods at “4 Data Collection Methods:
Which One’s Right for You?”

Don’t rely on paper for taking notes during your next focus group
discussion. Over 150 partners have collected over 20 million data points
through our mobile data collection app Collect!
This blog was co-authored by Monishankar Prasad and Christine Garcia.

Note: This article was originally published on 15 September 2015, then

refreshed and updated on 11 September 2017.