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Facilitating Focus Groups Training

2 days - private courses from £1650 + vat

Focus groups are a vital tool for quality & process improvement and staff development strategies. Often focus groups can identify areas to include in staff/customer surveys; improve staff motivation and morale; or generate creative ideas to problems or areas of improvement. There are a range of skills needed by a facilitator and this two day Facilitating Focus Groups course will take delegates step by step through preparing and facilitating effective focus groups.

Facilitating Focus Groups Training Course Objectives

At the end of this Facilitating Focus Groups course participants will be able to:

Understand the benefits and uses for focus groups
Develop the key skills of a facilitator
Understand and effectively deal with group dynamics
Prepare to facilitate a focus group
Effectively facilitate a focus group

Facilitating Focus Groups Training Course Content

Introduction

What are the objectives for the task?
What are your objectives?
Types of focus group
The role of a facilitator

Preparation

Putting together aims & objectives
Identifying group 'ground rules'
Selecting group members
Venue, materials and techniques

Facilitator skills

Listening, questioning and probing
How to generate ideas and thoughts
Idea & solution generation techniques
Decision making techniques
Creativity techniques
Establishing and retaining control
Staying ahead
Importance of feedback
Increasing personal impact and creditability
Maximising verbal and visual communication skills

Group Behaviour

Understanding group dynamics
Diagnosing the development of a group
Dealing with group conflict
Dealing with individual behaviour
Group size and participation

Facilitating a group

Setting 'ground rules'
Establishing the objectives
Encouraging discussion
Avoiding negativity
Handling group dynamic 'problems' (examples: attention seekers, silence, off track discussions, dominating characters)
Closing the group down

Analysing Information from Focus Groups

Practical Sessions

Practical sessions are based on workplace situations and recreating small focus groups. This is done by either reproducing 'live' situations or by using scenarios. Focus groups can be based on:

Quality Improvement
Process Improvement
Employee Feedback
Customer Feedback
Strategy & Planning

Delegates will get an opportunity to facilitate a focus group and receive feedback on their style and skills.

Who Should Attend?

Anyone who intends to lead a variety of focus groups, project meetings or working groups and wishes to become more effective at guiding people to solve problems and make decisions.

Facilitating Focus Groups Course Recommended Reading

Focus Groups: Theory and Practice - David W. Stewart, Prem N. Shamdasani – buy from amazon

Download course outline as pdf.