Facilitating a focus group in-person

- Now it's time to up our game and think about your larger meetings, you know, more than five or six or 10 people at a time, where you're the one standing up in front of them, trying to elicit feedback, ideas and requirements. First, make sure you actually need all those people. The key here is collaboration, but it's about them collaborating with each other. In our focus group, I'm going to try to make it as easy as possible for them to focus on the topic and each other, not me. I'm eliciting feedback, ideas, input, so I want that input to flow easily. I do things like simply telling them beforehand why they're invited, what our collective goal is and reminding them our focus is on the output, not who said what. This will set you up for that trusting environment to get everyone ready to collaborate together. So now, when you've got everyone in a room, you're standing in front of them, ready to elicit their needs and wants, and they're all looking at you, yeah, it can definitely be a little nerve-racking the first time. Even I've been there, and that's okay. The key here is to just relax, just be there with them, be completely present and focused on these challenging, opinionated, think they know it all, yet completely amazing people, right? Begin with an emphasis, not only back on the goal, but also an appreciation and a sense of respect to those attending. This way you continue to build trust to help both the room and you relax. Use your goal and focus back on the outcomes of the session, the ideas, the feedback, the opinions. These could be your requirements or design ideas. But remember, these are all just data inputs. Nothing is tied to who said what, but rather the collaborative group response that helps you build quality solutions is what you're looking for here. Encourage the attendees to elaborate and share on each other's ideas. Simply say things like, "Can you explain a little more to us?" or "What do you mean by that?" and, "Can you give the group a few more details?" Here, I'm bringing focus back on the group and encouraging them to almost talk with each other rather than towards me. As someone shares an idea, you can say things like, "Jim, what do you think of George's idea?" And, "Sally, have you ever felt how Kim has?" Notice how I'm directing questions towards the team's collective thoughts. Now, just because you're not actively participating in the ideas being generated doesn't mean you get to sit in the corner with your notepad. Having the session recorded, or even getting someone to take notes for you allows you to stay focused and engaged to what's being said. Make people feel that they are really being listened to by focusing on active listening, restating the goal and keeping a good track of time. And then complete the trust of the session by being clear on what you're doing with the output. Bring that focus back to the purpose of the meeting about why you needed their input. Emphasize how these great ideas are what will drive great solutions. Even something as simple as letting attendees actually see you never wrote down who said what builds great credibility with the stakeholders. Remember, you're probably going to see them all again, and being in good graces will make your analysis work much easier. You can use the handouts for more tips and tricks to guide you through these messy waters of facilitation so that you can feel more confident to get a large number of people in a room and facilitate some great outcomes.