Focus Group Preparation...

Having done 2 out of my 4 interviews and completed the preparation for the final 2, I am ready to move onto organising my focus group discussion. This is the first focus group that I have ever been involved in let alone moderate so I thought it best to once again search for some advice. The 2 links below offer some really helpful tips on the organisation stages as well as the actual carrying out of a focus group:

Conducting a Focus group (undated) Professor Glenn Blank
http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/~glennb/mm/FocusGroups.htm
(accessed 03.11.16)

Guidelines for Conducting a Focus Group (2005) Eliot & Associates
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjDlefwtYzQAhXrB8AKHWiHAdAQFggdMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fassessment.aas.duke.edu%2Fdocuments%2FHow_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGx7BcfW_NoeHH-4MG3zigxmNKBUA&sig2=jQjFySQIbjy_8Z9s-fE6YQ 
(accessed 03.11.16)

"When well executed, a focus group creates an accepting environment that puts participants at ease allowing them to thoughtfully answer questions in their own words and add meaning to their answers."
(Eliot & Associates, 2005, p 1)

My focus group must have a clear and specific purpose which will be shared as an overall aim with my participants before the discussion commences. Both the date and time have been organised well in advance and I have chosen my participants due to their involvement with the organisation One Dance UK, an attribute which proves to be important to my inquiry. As my focus group is via Skype, I do not need to worry about a location or set-up procedure. The only thing left to do is to email my Skype address to all participants and ask that they respond with their own so that I can add all contacts prior to the event.

In terms of questions, it is suggested by Blank to have 1-2 introductory questions before launching into 4-7 main questions which will form the meatiest part of the discussion. Questions should be open ended and move from general to specific in order to ease everyone in before getting to the heart of the discussion. They too should be short, to the point, unambiguous and worded in a way that avoids "yes' and "no" answers. I also need to think very carefully about which questions I want to ask. I should be prepared to rewrite and edit my questions until I am left with only those that are the most important and will generate the best discussion.               

As the facilitator/moderator of the focus group I need to give a welcoming introduction to the participants which I have already scripted. I am planning to give my participants some context by stating the aim and purpose of the focus group; what in general I would like to find out and also how it will run. Overall it will take no longer than an hour as any longer than this may cause despondency and a loss of focus from both myself and the participants. Before beginning I will also confirm the anonymity of the individuals in any data that I use, ask once more that they are happy to be audio recorded and also ensure them that all data collected will be stored securely and analysed by myself alone. I will also request that each individual to state their name before responding to a question to make it easier for me when transcribing the data.

I want to make the participants feel comfortable by creating a friendly and informal forum for discussion. I need to make sure that I keep everything on track and moving forwards at a steady pace so as to avoid wasting time. I will be responsible for safeguarding the discussion from going astray and off topic and also for making sure everyone is contributing and having their say. I do not want anyone to feel as though their ideas and opinions have not been listened to and appreciated. My goal "is to generate a maximum number of different ideas and opinions...in the time allotted" (Eliot & Associates, 2005, p 2). Finally, I want to allow room for spontaneous questions/discussion to develop which will allow me to probe deeper into a subject and hopefully find some useful information that is relevant to the development of my inquiry.

To finish I will of course sincerely thank the participants for giving up their time and inform them of what I am to do next with the information and how they are welcome to ask any further questions and have access to my inquiry once it is completed.  

Overall I am looking forward to the experience and will soon be following up with how it all went and how I am to go about the transcription process.