pink-book

—Not experts. Exclude market
researchers and advertising
professionals (because of their
familiarity with the methodology) and
those who have, or might be perceived
by other group members as having,
expertise in the subject matter (e.g.,
exclude health professionals from focus
groups when the topic is a health issue).
—Relative newcomers to focus groups or
interviews, so that their reactions will be
spontaneous. This will help you avoid
“professional” respondents (i.e., those
who have participated in many previous
focus groups or individual interviews
before) who may lead or monopolize
the discussion.
• The number of groups you will convene.
—Divide participants into different focus
groups based on their gender, race,
age, level of formal education, or any
other variable likely to hinder their
freedom of expression (e.g., teenage
girls will be more comfortable
discussing sexual activity if teenage
boys or college-age women are not in
the group).
—Conduct a minimum of two focus groups
with each intended audience segment
(e.g., if you are conducting separate
groups with men and women, you will
need at least four groups—two with
men, two with women). If intended
audience perceptions vary or the
audience feedback is unclear, you may
want to conduct additional groups with
each segment, especially if you revise
the discussion guide to more fully
explore unresolved issues.
—If you are using in-depth interviews,
conduct approximately 10 interviews
per intended audience segment. If
common themes do not emerge or the
intended audience feedback is unclear,
you may want to conduct additional
interviews, especially if you revise the
interview guide in between interviews.
Choose the Location
You can convene focus group discussions or
in-depth interviews in a variety of ways:
• Commercial focus group facilities can
recruit participants for you (for both focus
groups and interviews) and offer audio
and video recording equipment as well as
observation rooms with one-way mirrors
for viewing. However, these facilities are
usually available only in larger
metropolitan areas.
• Teleconference services can set up
telephone focus groups for you. Most allow
observers to listen without being heard,
and some provide remote viewing
programs to allow the moderator to see a
list of participant names (with a symbol
next to the one currently speaking) or
notes sent in by a technician from
observers listening to the call. Some
teleconference services can recruit
participants; with others, you will have to
recruit participants or contract with a
recruiter separately.
• You can also conduct focus groups or
in-depth interviews in meeting rooms at
churches, office buildings, or other
locations. If an observation room with a
one-way mirror is not available, staff may
still listen in through speakers hooked up
in a nearby room or by audiotaping or
videotaping the session. In some cases,
one or two quiet observers may be
allowed in the room to take notes.
See the sidebar Pros and Cons of Different
Formats on the next page for the advantages
and disadvantages of different formats for
focus group and in-depth interview research.
134 Communication Research Methods