Holding a successful focus group to figure out the quality of your course means you need to do careful planning and execution.
Measuring how well your next training course has performed is important for improving its effect and meeting the needs of learners.
Follow these best practices, and you can make sure that your focus group sessions provide valuable opinions. Then, you’ll be able to make smart decisions and boost the quality of your training programs.
1. Define your goals and research questions.
Clearly define your evaluation goals and research questions related to the course before holding the focus group.
Ask yourself questions such as:
- What are the learning outcomes of the training course?
- What detailed information are you hoping to gather from the learners?
- What opinions do you need to evaluate the course’s effectiveness?
Set clear goals so you can fit the focus group session to collect the most related and valuable feedback for seeing how well the course performed.
2. Recruit a diverse and representative group of learners.
Recruit people for your focus group who are just like the target audience of the training course. Remember to include those who have completed the course or are actively enrolled.
Aim for diversity in terms of demographics, job roles, or levels of experience to capture a wide range of perspectives on the course’s effectiveness.
Having a wide group will provide a range of opinions and viewpoints. This allows for a more thorough understanding of the topic at hand.
3. Create a comfortable and welcoming setting for learners.
Create a welcoming and non-judgmental setting to encourage honest and useful responses. People should feel like they can say what they think about the training openly.
Set clear guidelines for respectful communication, and make sure that learners understand their views are valued. Foster a safe space so you can lead meaningful discussions and gather real insights.
Here are some easy tips for creating a comfortable space:
- Good lighting
- Comfortable and enough seating
- Refreshments and snacks
4. Use a skilled moderator to lead the discussion.
One of the most important factors in a successful focus group session is the presence of a skilled moderator. The moderator plays an important role in guiding the discussion, keeping it on track, and making sure that all learners have an opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions.
The moderator should be familiar with the course content and goals, allowing them to ask appropriate questions and probe deeper into learners’ experiences.
A skilled moderator knows how to ask open-ended questions, encourage participation, and manage any conflicts or disagreements that may arise.
They also have the ability to create a safe and non-judgmental space where learners feel comfortable expressing their views.
5. Use a structured discussion guide to keep the conversation focused on course evaluation.
Create a discussion guide specifically designed to measure the quality of the course. It provides a solid structure for the moderator to follow and helps to make sure that all topics and questions are covered and connected to the training.
Here are some elements that you can add to your discussion guide
- A clear agenda
- Discussion points with explanations
- Prompts related to the course’s learning objectives, content or delivery methods
- Questions about how well the material met learner needs
- Questions for each topic
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Ideas for improvement
This helps to keep the conversation focused on the session and not about other topics.
6. Practice active listening and ask follow-ups for more information.
Encourage the moderator to ask probing questions that dig deeper into learners’ responses. This will help them be even clearer about what the group thinks.
For example, if someone shares their opinion on an area of the course, such as the effectiveness of group activities, you can ask probing questions like:
“Could you provide more details about your experience with the group activities? What specifically worked well for you?”
“Were there any challenges or areas for improvement that you met during the group activities?”
“How do you think the exercises added to your overall learning experience?”
7. Manage group dynamics:
Focus groups can have many different kinds of people or things, and it’s important to manage them. Some people might be shy while others will be happy to talk through the whole session.
Encourage equal participation, so that no individual takes over the conversation. This lets quieter learners share their thoughts.
Also address any conflicts or disagreements respectfully and redirect the discussion to maintain a positive atmosphere that lets everyone work together.
Here’s a sample statement you could give your moderator:
Thank you for sharing your opinion. It seems that we have some different opinions on this part of the course. Can we take a moment to understand the reasons behind some of these opinions? Who would like to add their thoughts or provide more on this matter?
8. Gather correct and fair data.
Make sure your data is reliable and unbiased during focus groups. Use appropriate recording methods such as sound or video recording, careful note-taking, or a combination of both.
Avoid leading questions or influencing learners’ responses, as this can introduce bias. Reach for neutrality and fairness in data collection.
9. Be organized and regular when reviewing data.
Part of gathering good data is to be very careful about reviewing it. So, after holding focus group sessions, carefully study the data in an organized way.
In part, this means to transcribe and review the recordings or notes. It also means to look out for key themes, patterns, and opinions.
Use qualitative data analysis methods such as coding or analysis to identify things that are in common, differences, and themes. Qualitative data analysis is a way of carefully looking at information that is not in numbers, like interviews, group discussions, or written documents. It involves organizing this information in a systematic way, finding patterns or themes in the data, and understanding what it all means.
This process helps to extract valuable opinions from all the responses of the learners.
10. Provide highlights to learners.
If you can, let the learners know about the most important things you gathered from the discussions. Tell them the main findings or opinions that came up. Also, show appreciation for their valuable input and thank them for taking the time to participate.
This open and clear communication helps to build trust and keep a positive connection with the learners. It encourages them to stay engaged and involved in future activities or discussions.
