FOCUS GROUPS BOOK

2. The Removal of Doubt:
In doing focus groups, one of the greatest gi>s it can give is the removal of doubt as to how
people will view our cases. Think for a second how remarkable that is. If that alone doesn’t
make you want to set one up right now, I don’t know what will!
With prac*ce and work, we all have the ability to remove the doubt of “what is the jury going to
think about
.” Instead, we can focus group that “blank,” and know for sure
what they do think about it, and frame the case in a way that o>en makes a nega*ve into a
posi*ve.
Our brains, as lawyers, just aren’t wired like most of the popula*on, and no maHer how much
we think we know what the jury is going to do with a fact of our cases, we will never truly know
un*l we ask them through focus groups, removing all doubt.
3. Confidence:
There is no subs*tute for geeng familiarity with simply standing up and talking to people and
rela*ng to them, just like we have to do with our juries. The more prepara*on and the more
experience we have doing it, the more natural it feels, and the more we can focus on what we
are hearing.
So in three short months, I feel more confidant and eager to stand up and talk to focus groups,
and I’m sure that the next *me I stand up in court, that confidence will be with me.
BoVom Line: Do the work to prepare yourself. Read the Focus Group book, and watch the
Focus Group DVD. The Focus Group book was created to be easy to follow, and short to
include only the most essenCal informaCon to get us started, or serve as a refresher. The
Focus Group DVD of over 20 hours of footage, is a giO that does not have to seem as
overwhelming as first glance. Watch the first hour where you get the intro by Papa Don, then
take it in pieces and jump around. The index is extremely easy to follow, and you can jump to
each topical focus group secCon to see examples and quesCon formats. Take it slow, and
know it doesn’t all have to be watched in a weekend.
Lastly, be yourself, albeit in my circumstance, a slower speaking self. And above all, have some
fun ge]ng to know people who have been brought into your pracCce to help you, help your
client.