Question

What are the characteristics of a good focus group moderator? What is the purpose of a moderator’s guide?

Why is it important to have 8 to 12 participants in a focus group? What difficulties might exist in meeting that objective?

Why are the screening activities so important in the selection of focus group participants? Develop a screening form that would allow you to select participants for a focus group on the benefits and costs of leasing new automobiles.

Answer 1

The characteristics of a good focus group moderator are

• Exhibit curiosity and interest in the group members
• Extroverted nature and easy interaction with strangers
• Remain unbiased and practical
• Be flexible in discussion and handle conflicts
• Good communicator and listening skills
• The ability to steer a discussion into the topic’s vicinity

A moderator’s guide contains the topic of discussion, the outline that the discussion should follow, the subtopics that should be covered and the process of the discussion. It shows the moderator how to proceed with the discussion and how to yield result from the discussion.

It is important to have 8 to 12 members in the focus group because this range of number is an ideal strength for fruitful discussion. Numbers below this causes the group to be too small and the discussion may not have enough interaction. Numbers above this tend to cause chaotic discussion.

The difficulty is to find groups that are diverse enough but also has relevance. For example, if we are looking to conduct a focus group discussion on the usability of a cell phone we may want people from different age groups. However, we also need people who are comfortable discussing various topics. Thus the mix of knowledge, relevance and diversity is key. This is also the challenge.