A focus group consists of a small number of people with knowledge and interest in a particular topic. They need to be able to talk to each other freely and share common problems or goals. Typically, a moderator helps get the discussion going and then takes a back seat. Discussions explore a range of specific topics and are usually quite unstructured. Participants are free to develop their own questions, frameworks and concepts and develop their own priorities. Focus groups encourage participants to talk to each other: ask questions, make comments, and share ideas. This group interaction is used to generate data, and the interactions between participants are used as a data source.

The results of such group discussions can be fed back to the larger community, giving a "voice" to people in the community who might not normally be able to speak in larger forums. Focus groups can be used for many purposes: to gather information at different stages of the development process, to build consensus, to validate data collected with other tools, to identify problems and solutions, and for planning or review purposes.

You will need to involve community leaders and/or organisational leaders in deciding on the criteria for group selection and may suggest suitable people for the focus group. Be aware of potential bias and ensure you have representatives from disadvantaged sections of the community. The composition of the group will depend a lot on the topic being discussed; however, you should ensure a cross-section of social groups and seniority (keeping in mind the point above that people feel comfortable enough to talk openly with each other). You may need to run more than one focus group on the same topic.

Prepare for the meeting by agreeing on a time, date and location (be aware of when each group member is busy). Prepare general guiding questions to help guide discussions. You could assign a group member to record agreed action points. You could visit group members beforehand and explain the purpose and goals of the discussion.

The market research literature recommends a maximum of 10-12 participants; sociologists recommend a maximum of 5-6 participants. For sensitive topics, when participants are likely to have more to say, and when more detailed elaborations are required, you can form smaller groups. Larger groups can be used when participation in a topic is likely to be low or when numerous short suggestions are required.

Many focus groups make a special effort to include a diverse range of people, such as people of different ages, social classes, and genders. In some cases, they include voices that would otherwise be excluded. It is also important to obtain a random sample specific to the topic. For example, if the study is investigating AIDS, it might include some people who test positive and some people who test negative. However, this heterogeneity is not necessarily important and will depend on the type of information required and the overall study. For example, a focus group may require only a specific range of people, such as people within a certain age range. Finally, focus groups can consist of natural groupings of people who already exist (although this impacts the type of information to be collected).

At the beginning of the focus group, it is useful for the moderator to thank people for coming, introduce themselves, outline the aims of the overall study, give the reasons for recording the session, and explain the format of the session. It is also important to introduce some of the conventions of focus groups; for example, only one person should speak at a time; all data is kept confidential and anonymous; the session is open and everyone's views are important; and one should agree on the length of the focus group. During the introduction, participants often provide basic demographic information, for example, age, gender, occupation, where they live. It is good for participants to introduce themselves so that everyone is known by name.

Start the discussion with a guiding question and make sure all group members participate. Do not impose your own structure until the discussion is no longer relevant. Remember that things that seem irrelevant to you may be crucial to group members. When consensus is reached or an issue cannot be resolved, casually introduce a new guiding question. Make note of key opinions, consensus, and agreed actions. Reach agreements on dates and actions to move forward. At the end of the discussion, summarize what was agreed. Thank the group and explain what will happen with the data. Make sure the results of the discussion are disseminated throughout the community/organization.

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