UCHUMI KILIMO

Surveys assume that people know how they feel. But sometimes they really don’t. Sometimes it

takes listening to the opinions of others in a small and safe group setting before they form

thoughts and opinions. Focus groups are well suited for those situations.

Focus groups can reveal a wealth of detailed information and deep insight. When well

executed, a focus group creates an accepting environment that puts participants at ease

allowing then to thoughtfully answer questions in their own words and add meaning to their

answers. Surveys are good for collecting information about people’s attributes and attitudes

but if you need to understand things at a deeper level then use a focus group.

If you’ve ever participated in a well-run focus group you’d probably say it felt very natural

and comfortable to be talking with a group of strangers. What you didn’t know perhaps were

the many hidden structures behind it all. A good focus group requires planning – a lot more

planning than merely inviting a few key people to casually share their opinions about a topic.

Outlined here are the details for conducting a high quality focus group. Also included are stepby-

step instructions for making sense of all the information you collect in the groups.