Employee morale, an understanding of the impact of change, measurement, assessments of initiatives' success- all of these issues have two things in common: They all have an
undeniable impact on the success of an organization, and they can all be addressed effectively during internal focus groups.
Focus groups are the perfect opportunity for an organization to, according to Michael Zimet of Dialogue Solutions, "Test people's reactions to new ideas or situations, and to
learn not just how people feel, but why." They are natural complements to internal surveys, and they are also ideal forums to understand any data that was uncovered. Plus,
employee focus groups are a natural internal communications device that engages this key stakeholder group and makes their voices heard.
During the International Association of Business Communicators' International Conference in New Orleans last week, Zimet offered a comprehensive guide to conducting effective
employee focus groups:
*Preliminary Preparation:
- Identify your objectives;
- Ensure you have management support;
- Identify a target audience based on job/location/business unit/etc.; and,
- Decide what the end product will be: To whom will you report findings, for example?
*Develop Focus Group Questions:
- Frame questions around the pre-determined objectives;
- Review relevant data to prepare, including results of past surveys, focus groups, reports, etc.;
- Ask questions that require more than a yes/no answer; and,
- If a preliminary question does result in a "yes" or a "no," always follow up with a "why" or a "how" to get the most useful information possible.
*Take Care of Housekeeping Items Ahead of Time:
- Develop a schedule;
- Reserve a room;
- Order food/refreshments, if applicable;
- Identify the facilitator;
- Identify participants, keeping in mind that the ideal group is 10-12 employees;
- Be careful of mixing managers and non-managers, as that may result in censored feedback;
- Send invitations; and,
- Track RSVPs so you can add more people if a few original invitees can't attend.
*Before the Session Starts:
- Arrive early;
- Set up recording equipment, as recordings are far more efficient and accurate than note-taking;
- Meet and greet participants as they arrive; and,
- Encourage them to socialize with one another before the session begins (this may mean doing formal introductions if you are bringing together people who don't already know
one another).
*Outline the Program to Participants:
- Once the session begins, introduce yourself and identify the topics, goals and expectations;
- Set any ground rules up-front; and,
- Ensure anonymity, as that will likely be a key concern of participants.
*Facilitate the Discussion, but Don't Dominate It:
- Start with a broad question to open the discussion, and make sure it is one that addresses leading issues or concerns, as this provides a hook;
- Move into more specific questions as the focus group progresses;
- Don't let any one person monopolize the conversation;
- If people are critical or contrary, ask what they would do to make the specific situation better;
- Keep things moving by not lingering on one question for too long; and,
- Close the discussion by telling participants what they can expect in terms of the findings: Will they get a copy of the report? Who will see the results?
*Report the Findings:
- Analyze what was said by reviewing original questions, dominant themes and surprising feedback;
- Combine employee feedback with your own observations in terms of the overall tone of the discussion, etc.;
- Write an executive summary that includes objectives, logistics, key findings and recommendations;
- Keep the report under two pages, and make it easy to read; and,
- Communicate the results to both employees and managers, outlining what the findings will be used for and reinforcing a "we're listening" mentality.
CONTACT:
Michael Zimet, [email protected]