FOCUS GROUPS BOOK

from what they wrote down a]er hearing other parJcipants. So then, you are not
ge_ng their unabridged feelings and thoughts. The best way I have found is to have the
parJcipants instead of using pen and paper use the private chat feature just to you when
doing the wri7en quesJon porJon of your presentaJon. That way, you have all of the
answers in private, real Jme, and in a form you can save. Again, don’t forget that with
some Zoom accounts the chat box is not saved once you close the Zoom, so simply
screen shot those chats before you leave and close the meeJng.
5. Harder to ini5ate cross talk: A computer screen is simply by nature less inJmate than
talking to other people in person. While not impossible, it takes more strategy and
intenJon on the part of the presenter to engage the parJcipants in cross talk. If not, the
presentaJon ends up being simply short conversaJons only between the presenter and
one parJcipant at a Jme.
Tips to help: Be intenJonal. Have a plan and quesJons wri7en out or thought out before
hand on how you will iniJate cross talk in each segment of your focus groups. Ways
include prompJng yourself to ask parJcipants to ask quesJons of others in the group,
asking parJcipants what they thought of other’s statements or opinions, and using the
breakout room feature to have two separate groups present sides of the case to one
another. The more ways you as the presenter can iniJate talking among the parJcipants
without your involvement, the be7er.
Virtual focus groups will be a tool in our toolchest that we will be able to use and uJlize in our
cases in the short term when we must, and in the long term when they can benefit our cases
both in terms of venue, finding parJcipants, and in working with other a7orneys across the
country.
I recommend taking the below and making a checklist that either yourself or someone from
your office follows each Jme you set up and execute a virtual (or in person) focus group. That
way, in the heat of the moment and everyday tasks, a small step that can impact later results is
not missed. The Appendix contains a sample Virtual Focus Group task checklist 1.
How to:
1. DraT and post an ad. Several sample ads are included in the Appendix 2. The
adverJsement should be simple staJng the date, Jme, short descripJon, what to bring
with you or have available (computer and smart phone, paper, pen, etc.).
1
2
See Appendix 4 – Virtual Focus Group Task Checklist
See Appendix 5 – Sample Virtual Focus Group AdverJsement & QuesJonnaire