1. The tool is merely a template. You should modify it as needed for your distinct purposes.

2. Conducting a focus group interview (or a regular interview or questionnaire) is a type of survey activity. Conducting a survey should be done systematically. The overall steps in the survey process are:
   1. Organize the survey team.
   2. Determine the survey goal.
   3. Select a representative sample.
   4. Generate the questions.
   5. Construct the instrument (questionnaire, interview protocol, or focus group protocol).
   6. Test the instrument.
   7. Administer the instrument.
   8. Analyze the data.
   9. Share and use the results.

3. Consider collecting audience information with more than one method if time and resources allow. For example, a questionnaire can be used to collect some baseline information about audience needs. Then, either interviews or focus groups can be used to collect more detailed information. Alternatively, interviews or focus groups can be used to define the issues involved in audience characteristics, and a questionnaire can be used to confirm or refine the issues.

Focus group protocols consist of a set a primary questions and a set of secondary questions designed to get others in the focus group to either confirm or disagree with the first respondent's answers. It is recommended that two people conduct a focus group interview with groups of six to eight people. One of the interviewers will serve as the moderator, asking the questions and encouraging others to speak. It is crucial that the moderator build an atmosphere of sharing among the group members so that one or two people don't dominate the discussion.

The other interviewer is primarily charged with taking notes. A challenging aspect of any type of interviewing is capturing what is said. The best option is to have the interviews recorded and then have the interview transcribed later. The second interviewer can use his/her notes to annotate the actual transcript. Focus groups generally last from 30 minutes to two hours.

Some of the advantages of focus group interviews are:

• they are highly efficient ways of collecting information; in one hour you can get the opinions of eight people;
• they provide some quality controls and reliability checks on the information; participants tend to provide checks and balances for the views of others; and
• they tend to be fairly painless, even enjoyable ways for participants to provide important information during the instructional design process.

Some of the disadvantages of focus group interviews are:

• only a limited number of questions can be covered, approximately ten per hour;
• considerable group process skill is needed to conduct an effective, efficient focus group interview; and
• unexpected diversions can occur in a focus group such as power struggles among participants.

1. When you obtain a new job, what types of training programs are most useful to you?
   • Do you agree with that?
   • What do you do that is different from that person?
   • Do you feel that way too?
   • You look like you disagree with what was just said. Do you?
   • Is that really the way it is?
2. What are the most useful types of information in a training program?
   • Do you agree with that?
   • What do you do that is different from that person?
   • Do you feel that way too?
   • You look like you disagree with what was just said. Do you?
   • Is that really the way it is?
3. How do you really learn a new job or task?
   • Do you agree with that?
   • What do you do that is different from that person?
   • Do you feel that way too?
   • You look like you disagree with what was just said. Do you?
   • Is that really the way it is?
4. How would you improve training as usually provided here?
   • Do you agree with that?
   • What do you do that is different from that person?
   • Do you feel that way too?
   • You look like you disagree with what was just said. Do you?
   • Is that really the way it is?
5. What other information would you like to provide to the developers of training here?
   • Do you agree with that?
   • What do you do that is different from that person?
   • Do you feel that way too?
   • You look like you disagree with what was just said. Do you?
   • Is that really the way it is?

Henerson, M. E., Morris, L. L., & Fitz-Gibbon, C. T. (1987). How to measure attitudes. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Krueger, R. A. (1988). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D. L. (Ed.). (1993). Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Patton, M. Q. (1987). How to use qualitative methods in evaluation. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.