Editor’s note: Brenda Murphy is principal of Brenda F. Murphy & Associates, a Kalamazoo, Mich., research firm.

Focus groups can be a relatively easy way to let employees from any area of a company hear firsthand how customers feel about a business, service or product, to determine consumer or “street” language about a product or service, or to test reaction to a new product, packaging concept or advertising. But if employees have never observed focus groups, a little preparation will help them understand the process and let them come away from the sessions having learned about their own business. First-time observers need to be prepared because they’ll hear the good, the bad, the ugly, and most assuredly, the untrue.

Here are a few simple guidelines to follow when inviting first-time viewers to observe focus groups.

1. Ask observers to arrive at least a half-hour before the groups are scheduled to begin.

This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the facility and get settled in the viewing room before the participants begin arriving. Since participants are not always told the name of the client, it’s not prudent to have observers from the client company and participants introducing themselves to the receptionist at the same time. One company who wished to remain anonymous in a project had its cover blown by a late-arriving observer who stated very loudly to the receptionist, “Hi. I’m Joe Jones from ________.” The company decided to conduct the group anyway, even though all the participants standing in the reception area now knew who the client was. A very expensive mistake!

2. Make certain everyone gets a copy of the moderator’s guide beforehand.

While the guide is an outline of the topics and questions the moderator should ask, depending on how the group progresses, all questions may or may not be asked. Alert the observers that the questions may also be asked in a different order because the participants may impose their own order of importance on the topics. Having the outline beforehand allows observers to familiarize themselves with it and take notes when things change.

3. Be certain everyone understands who is participating in the focus groups.

Participants who are invited to focus groups are screened to fit very specific criteria because the sample is so small. They are not just persons selected randomly off the street. Depending on the project specifications, they may be between certain ages, earn specific incomes, use a specific product on a regular basis or be “trier-rejectors,” live in a particular zip code or have no warts on their left foot. Whatever the selection criteria, be certain the observers are aware of the project’s objectives and the reasons for inviting these participants. It’s important that the observers understand from whom they are hearing the information since it will help them put it into the context of their role in the company.

4. Make certain it’s quiet in the backroom during the group.

In other words, keep it down back there! The more people in the observation room, the higher the level of noise that might be heard in the discussion room. Most focus groups have soundproof observation rooms, but real differences exist in the quality of the soundproofing. It’s difficult to concentrate on the conversation in front of the mirror if there is talking or raucous laughing behind it. If the moderator can hear it, rest assured the respondents can too.

5. Be prepared for bullies, friends, and mice.

Every focus group has different dynamics that depend completely on the personalities of the participants. Actually it’s a bit like improv! Some groups may have a bully. A focus group bully is a person who tries to monopolize the conversation and force his/her opinions on everyone else. The bully usually sits at the opposite end of the table from the moderator and often attempts to moderate the group from there. An experienced moderator will work around this person, keep the group focused and encourage everyone to give their opinions.

When friends are recruited accidentally to participate in the same focus group, they invariably want to sit next to each other and talk to each other during the group. (This may happen in more sparsely populated areas.) Private conversations tend to be disruptive; they make it more difficult for everyone to hear what others are saying. Generally this can be avoided by having seats assigned with name cards before the session begins.

Although everyone is encouraged to speak freely during the discussion, the group may have a mouse — a person who says absolutely nothing and barely responds even when asked a direct question. It’s the moderator’s job to encourage this shy person to express his or her opinions. Sometimes this can be done by giving the person a task, or asking him or her to work with another member of the group. But it may happen that the person still contributes nothing. The client wonders why the person came and is annoyed at having to give them a cash incentive for hearing nothing.

6. Comments must be evaluated in context!

 In focus groups people will say what they perceive as the truth. It may or may not be - after all, it’s just their perception. And it may be the perception of only one or two people. Observers must be cautioned to keep the big picture in mind and not be sidetracked by the comments of one or two dominant individuals or those most positive or most negative about the topic under discussion. Remember that there are no numbers attached to the comments heard. Hearing eight out of 10 people say they like or dislike the packaging of the burglar alarm does not mean 80 percent of the population at large feels the same way. The results of one group mean nothing and even multiple groups can be misleading. So be very cautious in evaluating this type of research. It’s not projective and no numbers can be attached to it. It’s easy to hear only what one wants to hear, not what’s actually being said.

7. Discuss with the moderator beforehand how communication during the session will be handled.

 Sometimes during the discussion additional questions spring into the observers’ minds. If arrangements are made beforehand, a note can be brought in to the moderator, or the moderator may give participants an activity or task to complete and actually leave the group and come into the observation room to talk with the observers about a particular topic or how a line of questioning should be handled. Every moderator has their own style of dealing with interruptions; it just needs to be established up front.

More valuable

A little extra time spent preparing employees for observing focus groups can make them more valuable to the employees while making them become an integral part of the research process. Recently a client for whom a set of four focus groups was conducted in Detroit brought 14 employees to observe the discussions. The backroom group included people from sales, accounting, creative, finance, training, and management. Almost all of them had never seen a focus group before and had no idea what to expect. The short briefing session conducted before the first group prepared them for the process, allowed them to listen more actively to participants’ comments, evaluate the comments in context and take notes on important topics. The end result proved to be a more productive and positive experience for everyone.