Questions That Engage Participants
Up to now, we've shown you examples of questions that only required people to talk. We also ask people to do things-list, draw, review, cut and paste, debate. There are several benefits to creating activities and experiences that get people to do something other than talk. These questions often tap into a different part of the brain or heart. With some, you get away from linear or rational answers. Some provide wonderful images and symbolism. Also, participants often have fun with these.
Listing Things
Perhaps the easiest way to engage people in a different way is to ask them to make a list. This is often done with a flip chart or chalkboard so participants can remember what has already been said. There are several ways that the list can be prepared. One way is to have participants verbally offer ideas as the moderator or assistant moderator records these on the flip chart. Another way is to give participants several minutes to record their individual lists on paper provided to them and then tabulate results. The lists could be read aloud by the participants, read by the moderator, or sorted and read by the assistant moderator. This listing process helps identify duplicate items. The j listing process also affords the participants a few moments to reflect ! before they offer an answer. Consider these examples: "Think back to when you had awful service. What makes customer service terrible? Write your answers on a piece of paper. In a moment we'll share these with each other." Or, "On the paper in front of you, jot down three characteristics of successful youth workers."
The list can be used simply to identify the range of responses. Or, the list can be used to move to a higher level. After the group has generated a list in response to "What makes customer service terrible?" the moderator can refer to the list and ask each person, "Which item do you consider to be the most important on the list?" or "If you had to pick one thing from this list that is most important to you, what would it be?" Then the moderator could focus the following discussion on the items that the participants chose as most important.
CAUTION
Flip Charts Can Slow the Conversation
We use flip charts sparingly in focus groups because it can stifle conversation. People can talk much faster than a recorder can write. Often participants will stop talking so the recorder can list an idea. Also, people tend to offer phrases that are easy to list, rather than offering long examples, which are usually much more useful during analysis. The moderator must continually encourage people to give examples or explain or share more as he or she captures information on the chart. Also, listing items on the flip chart tends to put the emphasis back on the moderator. Participants serially talk to the moderator rather than responding to each other. It becomes the moderator's conversation, rather than the group's conversation. Therefore, we usually don't use a flip chart to record items on more than two questions in a group.
Rating Items
Rating scales can help identify which items should be discussed in more detail. Usually the researchers develop the criteria and the rating scale. The rating exercise should be simple, and participants should be able to complete it within a few minutes. Consequently, there is a limit to the number of items that can be rated.
EXAMPLE
Examples of Response Categories

At times there is value in asking participants to help develop the items to be rated. In these situations, keep the response scale constant, but have participants identify the items to be rated. The researcher can then compare ratings of items and array these from high to low.
Suppose we are interested in how customers rate a local restaurant. We could use an instrument previously developed by the restaurant, and if we did so, we could compare results to earlier findings. But the predetermined criteria might miss some critical elements of customer concern. Most often these rating forms ask about quality of food, quantity of food, speed of service, friendliness of service, and so on. Suppose, however, that areas of greater concern to customers are parking lot congestion, food prices, presence or absence of smoking areas, or noisiness. We suggest that you weigh the pros and cons of having criteria determined by the researcher versus criteria developed by participants. An advantage of using criteria developed by each person is that you get closer to their reality. The disadvantage is that these are sometimes difficult to analyze across groups because each group might be rating a different set of items.
EXAMPLE
Question Involving Rating
Here is an example used with students in a high school: "We'd like you to develop a report card for your school. You're familiar with grades, A, B, C, D, and F, that you get for school subjects like English, history, and algebra. We want you to make a report card for your school, but you get to pick the subjects or the areas and you get to give the grades. Pick subjects or things that are important to you. It could be something about people, the building, activities, or anything connected with the school.
Pick subjects and give each subject a grade from A to F. So, each of you take one of these cards and make a report card for this school." Once the students were done, they shared their lists and grades, which were recorded on a flip chart. Then students were asked to pick out and discuss things that were rising to the top-getting A's. Then they were asked to pick those things that were failing. Students were then asked how the things that were failing could be improved.
When participants have completed the exercise, the ratings should then be discussed. If you aren't going to discuss the results, then do the rating before or after the focus group, and don't waste time having them complete it while the group is meeting. The follow-up discussion usually begins by asking each participant to share his or her ratings (or the results could be passed in and announced or tabulated without individual identification). Sometimes we use a flip chart to list results, and after participants have seen results from others, they may wish to amplify or even modify their response. Much of the value of the rating scale is in the follow-up discussion. "Are any categories missing?" "What do you feel most passionate about?" "What might be done to improve these items?"
Choosing Among Alternatives- Pilot Testing Ideas
This is a great use for focus groups. Participants are offered several choices, usually at least three but no more than five. The participants are then asked to look over the alternatives, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each, discuss what they like and don't like, and select the one that they like the best. In addition to making the selection and announcing the choice, the participants also offer a reason for why they decided the way they did. This strategy is often used in selecting from among visual displays, advertising layouts, promotional or educational materials, logos, or even program options. We've used this strategy to evaluate different delivery options for higher education in a community, to review proposed social service programs, and to get feedback on different formats for educational materials. In some situations, the participants were given short descriptions to read. In others, participants watched short videos or reviewed materials or mockups. Participants discussed the options, asked questions, and then selected the one they preferred.
Picture Sort
The picture sort begins with a stack of pictures, typically from magazines. It might be a stack of pictures of women, men, or teens. The pictures depict different types of people doing a variety of things. The moderator asks the participants to sort through the pictures and pick out those that match certain characteristics. For example, "Look through these pictures and pick out the people who would participate in community education." "Here are some pictures of women. Sort the pictures into two categories. One category is women you think would breast-feed their child, and the second category is women who you think would bottle-feed their child." After the sorting exercise, the moderator asks participants to talk about what it was about the pictures that caused them to put them in certain categories. The images help us understand an issue in a different way from words.
Drawing a Picture
Each focus group participant is given a blank piece of paper and a pencil, markers, or crayons. He or she is then asked to draw a picture that might offer some insights on behavior or attitudes. Use stick figures for those anxious about the difficulty of drawing people. A variation is to hand out a "roughed-out" sketch and ask participants to add words or narrative to the pictures.
After each participant has drawn a picture, he or she is asked to hold it up for others to see and then describe it. When the group is finished sharing, the moderator might ask the group what they saw in the different approaches. What was similar? What was different?
EXAMPLE
Picture Drawing Questions
Here are examples of questions used to determine (1) the environment of an urban youth center, (2) new moms' images of an ideal home visit from a public health nurse, and (3) employee morale.
Example 1
We want you to draw someone who uses the youth center. Draw a picture of this person standing at the door of the youth center after having spent the evening there. Draw the person. (Give them some time.) This person has something in their hand. What is it? Draw something in their hand. (Give them some time.) OK, the person is saying something. Write down what the person is saying. {Give some time.) Now, over on the side of the paper, give the person a name and an age, and tell where they live. (Give some time.) Write down where they go to school and what they do in their spare time.
Example 2
Imagine an ideal home visit. What would that be like? We want you to draw your ideal home visit. Draw yourself and your baby. Put a little arrow to the baby and tell us how old the baby is when this ideal visit occurs. (Give some time.) The ideal nurse comes and she brings a gift for you and a gift for the baby. What does she bring? Draw the nurse and draw what she brings for you and the baby. (Give some time.) The nurse has a nametag with the name of her organization on it. What organization is listed on the nametag in this ideal visit? Give her a nametag and list the organization. (Give some time.) The nurse does something while she is there that is really helpful. What does she do? Draw it. (Give some time.) The nurse leaves you with a message that you really wanted or needed to hear. Draw a bubble from her mouth and write down the message she leaves. (Give some time.) Finally, in a corner, jot down three: characteristics this ideal home visitor has that are important to you.

Example 3
Draw a picture of an employee of this organization. You don't have to be an artist; a stick figure is just fine. Draw an arrow to his or her mouth and write down what they say to their supervisor about the organization. Draw an arrow to the head and write down what he or she thinks about the organization. Then draw an arrow to the heart and write down what he or she feels about the organization. (We draw an example of the picture and have people copy the picture and fill in the blanks. We don't give examples of what they say, think or feel because we don't want to lead or bias people
As with all these participatory exercises, the benefit is in the discussion following the picture drawing. The picture is merely the stimulus that helps participants collect their thoughts and explain how they see a concept or idea. However, the pictures can be incredibly helpful in sharing the focus group findings with others. We often include a few of these pictures in the final report.
Using Your Imagination
Occasionally moderators will ask participants to imagine or dream about how things could be different. The challenge for the moderator is to establish the timing of the experience so that participants are ready for the exercise. For example, after participants have talked about the pros and cons of an alternative, the moderator might tell participants that there is a magic wand, hat, or device that allows them to make their dream come true. The moderator passes around the wand or hat, and as each participant holds the wand or puts on the hat, he or she also shares his or her dream. Or, participants might be asked to close their eyes and imagine that they are on a special journey in a faraway land. Along the way, they discover a special box that holds answers to great problems and difficulties that people have. When you open the box, you find the answer to the problem. What is in the box?
The moderator begins the experience by changing the pace of the group discussion. Up to this point, participants were answering questions and conversing with others. Now, the moderator changes the mood of the conversation, perhaps by asking for a moment of silence, by using music to create a period of relaxation, or by guided imagery. This question often works well because it is different from what participants expect. The request seems unusual, unexpected, and sometimes even goofy. If you decide to use it, plan carefully for how you introduce the question.
Developing a Campaign
Recently, several youth focus group studies have used a "campaign" questioning strategy. The session begins with the moderator asking questions of the youth about campaigns. "What is a campaign?" "Tell us about where you've seen campaigns." "What happens in a campaign?" "What are the things that make up a campaign?" During this first part, the young people typically talk about political campaigns and sometimes campaigns for schools, teams, or local causes. Campaigns have slogans, speakers, banners, songs, balloons, and celebrities. The moderator then asks the participants to develop a campaign that will get other young people to do something-perhaps eat more fruits and vegetables, get more exercise, or avoid drugs and alcohol. The campaign is aimed at other kids.
EXAMPLE
Imagination Questions
Here are three examples of questions asking participants to use their imagination.
Example 1
A moderator was seeking creative suggestions for developing an educational event for food service workers. Designers had come up with the theme of having a carnival. She asked participants to close their eyes, listen to carnival music, and imagine themselves at the carnival. They were led through a guided imagery and asked to jot down notes or try to remember what came to mind for each question. The group participants (who were helping design the carnival) were asked to:
Imagine promotional materials for the carnival that got you excited to go. How did they get your attention? What did they say?
What did they look like?
Imagine arriving at the carnival. What do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell?
Imagine walking around the carnival and being excited about certain exhibits. What do the exhibits look like? What are they about? What are people doing?
Imagine going back to school and telling, coworkers that the event was great and incredibly useful. What made it great? What made it useful?
After they had been guided through the exercise, the moderator asked each question again, and asked participants to share what they had imagined for each step.
Example 2
An organization was exploring solutions to employees' child care problems. The moderator said: "Here is a magic wand. I'll pass it around the table and when you receive it, give your magical solution to the problem. By waving the wand, your solution will come true. Take the wand and tell us your solution."
Example 3
Yet, other studies have asked people to imagine ideal futures: "Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine that you have been cryogenically frozen and you wake up twenty years in the future. You are completely OK, and you awake to an ideal world. What is the university like in this ideal world?"
Those in the focus group plan the strategy, complete with slogans, speakers, music, or whatever they think is needed to be effective. There is a supply of materials, such as markers and colored paper, for the kids to use in developing their campaign. The group can be divided into two groups of three to five participants to work for forty-five minutes to an hour and then reassemble. Kids then share their campaigns and talk about what they like best about each campaign.
This strategy works well with youth because it allows them to be active, to use their expertise, and to have fun. You can get creative with this. One researcher provided T-shirts and caps to the kids, so they could identify themselves as their own marketing group. The researcher gets ideas and learns which strategies the target audience finds effective. This campaign strategy also works with adults in promoting social issues, community activities, wellness campaigns, and a host of other efforts.
Doing Something Before the Focus Group
Sometimes focus group participants are asked to do a task before coming to the focus group. The task helps the participant prepare for the group discussion. This task could consist of visiting a location, reviewing materials or a Web site, keeping a log of activities, or taking photographs of the topic of interest or any activity that provides experience with the research topic.
EXAMPLE
Doing Something Before the Group
Example 1
In a study of mosquito control, focus group participants were asked to keep a fourteen-day log of their experiences with mosquitoes. The forms for the log were sent to participants in advance. Participants were paid to complete the log and attend the focus group. The logs helped participants recall their experiences in the previous two-week period and the researchers collected the documents for later content analysis.
Example 2
In a study of women's attitudes toward car repair, the researcher sent each participant a disposable camera and a scrapbook two weeks prior to the group. Each page of the scrapbook had a caption, like "Take a picture of yourcar." "Take a picture of where you take your car to get it fixed." "Take a picture of how you feel when your car breaks down." "Take a picture of how you feel while you car is being repaired." Participants were asked to take a picture for each caption, have the film developed, put the pictures in the scrapbook, and bring the completed scrapbook to the focus group. Participants were asked to share their pictures in the group. The client collected all the scrapbooks. Participants were paid $100 to develop the scrapbook and participate in the focus group.