TalentMap | Knowledge Base
Speak to Our TeamManager GuideLogin to Compass
  • Getting Started
  • STEP 1: PREPARE FOR ACTION
    • Executive Driven Survey Overview
    • Timelines and Deliverables
    • Schedule a Meeting with your Consultant or Project Manager
    • Stategic Assessment Session
    • Prepare for Action FAQ
      • Who will be responsible for different aspects of the project?
      • What kind of support can we expect during each phase of the survey process?
      • What are the recommended timelines for various project phases?
      • When should we schedule the questionnaire design call?
      • What kind of access will we have to the online reporting tool?
  • STEP 2: DEVELOP QUESTIONNAIRE
    • Questionnaire Design
      • TalentMap Employee Engagement Questionnaire
      • 5-Point Rating Scale
      • Response Scale From Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree
      • Length of an Employee Engagement Questionnaire
      • Determining Areas of Importance
      • Employee Net Promoter Score
    • Questionnaire FAQ
      • Can we customize the standard questionnaire?
      • How can we incorporate our specific themes or categories into the survey?
      • Can we add questions about our organization's mission, vision or strategic plans?
      • Which benchmark should we choose?
      • How do I sign off on a survey?
      • What is the difference between engagement and satisfaction?
      • Where should we place demographic questions?
      • Will the survey questions change in the future?
      • When you use the term “we” in the questionnaire, who does this refer to?
      • Can we change the scale so that Strongly Disagree is the last option?
  • STEP 3: PRE-SURVEY COMMUNICATION & SETUP
    • Participant Information File
      • Change Date of Birth and Length of Service to Ranges
    • Email Whitelisting
      • Compass Email Whitelisting (DIY)
    • Survey Communications
      • Comprehensive Guide To Survey Communications
      • Pre-Survey Email Communication Package
      • Promotional Posters
      • Employee Info Sheets
      • Engagement Survey Invitation Email
      • Exit Survey Invitation Email
      • Entry Survey Invitation Email
      • PIN Survey Invitation Email
    • Response Rate Strategies
    • Pre-Survey FAQ
      • Is the survey confidential?
      • How can we effectively communicate the survey to our employees?
      • How long should the survey be open?
      • Can I make changes to my PIF?
      • What methods are available for survey distribution?
      • Should we include new employees in our survey?
      • Should we survey contract or term employees?
      • What languages are available for communications material?
      • How long does it take to program my survey?
      • Are there standard invitations for Pulse surveys?
      • Why am I getting invalid entries in my import log?
  • STEP 4: DEPLOY EMPLOYEE SURVEY
    • Monitor Response Rates
    • Survey Live FAQ
      • How often are survey response rates updated?
      • Can I save my responses and complete the survey later?
      • Can responses be changed once submitted?
      • Can I extend my survey?
      • My survey link is not working what do I do?
      • We had bouncebacks, can you send the survey to them immediately?
      • What reports will our organization have access to?
  • STEP 5: ANALYZE, INTERPRET & REPORT
    • Compass Reports
      • General
        • Filter Data
        • Bulk Export
      • Snapshot
        • Webpage
          • Snapshot Report Overview
          • Sort Data
          • Compare to Overall
          • Compare to Other
          • Hide Benchmark and / or Previous Period
        • Export to PowerPoint
          • Export Response Rate
          • Export Lookup / Lookdown
          • Export Heatmap
          • Export Key Driver Analysis
          • Export AI Comment Summaries
        • Export to Excel
      • Heatmap
        • Heatmap Overview
        • Heatmap Previous Period
      • Comments
        • Comments Overview
        • AI Comment Analysis
          • Ask Comment Questions
          • Comment Summary & Suggestions
          • Search Comments by Meaning
        • Comment Settings
          • Hide Words & Phrases
            • Import Hidden Words or Phrases
          • Comment Dimension Score
          • Sentiment Analysis
          • Minimum Words & Random Sample
          • Auto-Translate
        • Word Cloud
          • Word Cloud Overview
          • Word Cloud Settings
          • Import Stop Words
        • Export to Excel
        • How to Handle and Distribute Verbatim Comments
        • FAQ
          • How should disclosure of employee comments be handled?
          • Who has access to comments in Compass?
          • How is AI data handled?
      • Insights
      • Correlations
      • Prepare Reports for Senior Leadership
      • Reporting FAQ
        • How should I analyze the survey results?
        • What is key driver analysis?
        • What is Pearson correlation?
        • What size group is required to do driver analysis?
        • Why do some scores total over 100%?
        • What is the purpose of the neutral option?
        • What is the minimum participation percentage to achieve statistically valid results?
        • Should we focus on dimensions with low scores?
        • How does report filter confidentiality work?
        • Can I turn off the confidentiality similarity warning message?
        • Can I filter by questions in the survey?
    • Compass Admin
      • Results
        • General
          • Enable Results for Reporting
          • Edit Demographic Report Labels
          • Update a Survey Title
        • Participants
          • Edit Participant Information
          • Remove Participant(s) From an Email Campaign
        • Survey Items
          • Customize Survey Items
          • Convert a Survey Item into a Demographic Filter
        • Benchmarks
        • Previous Period
        • Snapshot Customization
        • Dashboard Editor
        • Assign Access
      • Users
        • Permissions
        • Add a User
        • Log In with Microsoft Account
        • Assign Restricted User to a Report
  • STEP 6: DISCUSS, CLARIFY & PLAN
    • TalentMap Reports
      • Scouting Report
      • HR Preview
      • Executive Presentation
      • Additional Presentations
      • TalentMap Report FAQ
        • What’s the difference between a preview and a final executive presentation?
        • High satisfaction vs low engagement (or vis versa)?
    • Post-Survey Consulting Services
    • Focus Groups
      • Conduct a Focus Group
      • Focus Group Invitation Email - Template
    • Management Resources
      • Improve Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace
      • 360 Leadership
      • Employee Onboarding
      • Stay Interviews
      • Exit Interviews
      • One-on-One Meetings
  • STEP 7: COMMUNICATE & TAKE ACTION
    • Communicating Results
      • Constructive Strategies for Leaders with Low Scores
    • Action Planning
      • Organization vs. Leadership Action Plans
        • Pitfalls to Avoid When Action Planning for Senior Leaders and Managers
      • Develop an Action Plan
      • Create Action Teams, Documentation and Implementation
    • Action Planning Resources
      • Before You Start
        • Action Planning Quick Wins
        • 6 Steps to Successful Action Planning
        • Plan for Action Planning Difficulties
        • Proven Action Planning Tips
      • Tactical
        • How to Start Action Planning
        • Action Plan Framework Guide
        • Action Planning - How To Guide
        • Action Planning Checklist
        • Action Plan Template
        • 3 Post-Survey Action Planning Tactics
    • Action Plan Library
      • Compensation
        • Bonus Pay Or Incentives
        • Determining Fair Compensation
        • Total Rewards Packages
      • Customer Focus
        • Build Loyalty, Not Delight
        • Making Customer Feedback Work for You
        • Translating Competition into Improvement
      • Diversity & Inclusion
        • Employee Resource Groups
        • Mentoring Program
        • Multicultural Potluck
        • Sensitivity Training
      • Growth & Development
        • Develop Cross-Training Programs
        • Implementing Job Shadowing Programs
        • Increase / Improve Training
        • Instituting Regular Career Pathing Conversations
        • Professional Development Plans
      • Immediate Management
        • Avoid Switch-Tracking When Given Feedback
        • Developing Emotional Intelligence
        • Fika: Creating Genuine Connections Over Coffee
        • The Pomodoro Technique
      • Information & Communication
        • BLUF Your Way to Better Communication
        • Stand Up for One Another
        • Want Better Groupwork? Talk Less
      • Innovation
        • Establishing Innovative Onboarding
        • HR Analytics
        • Mental Health Coaching
      • Mental Health
        • Lunch-n-learns
        • Stress Audit
        • The Canine-Colleague Culture Connection
        • Volunteer Program
      • My Role
        • Autonomy Advances the Workplace
      • Performance Feedback
        • Improved / Better Communications
        • Set Clear Goals
        • Utilize the Right Technology
      • Safety
        • Fitness Challenge
        • Health and Safety Committee
        • Health Fair
        • Kick the Sit Out of Work
      • Senior Leadership
        • Develop Empathy Superpowers
        • Embracing Change in Long-Term Thinking
        • Evangelizing Your Vision
        • Hosting a World Cafe Session
        • Increasing Visibility
        • Integrating Vision to Boost Engagement
        • Setting Ambitious and Realistic SMART Goals
        • Understanding Communication Styles
        • Use Storytelling to Share Your Vision
      • Systems & Resources
        • Investing in Technology
      • Teamwork
        • Clarifying Roles
        • Project Management Tools
        • Reward Excellent Teamwork
      • Work Environment
        • Adapting to Open Office Environments
      • Work/Life Balance
        • Enforced Digital Downtime
        • Flextime
        • Focus on Productivity Not Hours
  • DIY SURVEY DESIGN & DEPLOYMENT
    • Compass Questionnaire Design (DIY)
      • Getting Started (DIY)
        • Build a Survey
        • Style a Survey
        • Test a Survey
        • Pulse Survey Overview
        • Getting Started With Logic (Branching)
      • Compass Survey Design (DIY)
        • Build
          • Question Types
          • Add a Question
          • Require a Question
          • Add Text / Instruction
          • Page Title and Description
          • Copy & Paste
          • Reorder Questions
          • Reorder Pages
          • Copy a Survey
          • Skip Logic
          • Question Logic
          • Restore "Undo" a Question or Page
          • Textbox / Long Answer Character Limit
          • Post a Survey Link
          • Disable a Question
        • Style
          • Add Logo
          • Text Options
          • Preview Survey by Device or Language
          • Choose Respondent Interaction
          • Hide Progress Bar
          • Hide Page Titles, Descriptions, and Question Numbers
        • Test
          • Survey Diagnostics
          • Invite Others to Test
          • View Comments Made by Survey Testers
        • Tools
          • Rename a Survey Title
          • Text & Translations
            • Change Required Text, Messages, and More
            • Add Translation
            • Test Translation
            • Share A Translated Survey
            • Reuse Translations for Standard Messaging
        • Design FAQ
          • Why is there a red asterisk on my question?
          • How do I add or remove page breaks?
          • How can I design surveys to be more accessible?
          • Why is my question title and/or answer option blank?
          • Why Is the font for some of my survey questions different?
          • Why are the option buttons not displaying in my survey?
          • What is a thank you page?
    • Compass Survey Deployment (DIY)
      • Create an Email Campaign
      • Hide Unsubscribe Link
      • Upload Participants
      • Add Reminder or Thank You Emails
      • Add Image to Email
      • Change Email Font
      • Test Email Campaign
      • Convert UTC Time
      • Resend a Survey Link
      • Source Tracking
      • Rename an Email Campaign
      • Close a Survey
  • GENERAL
    • FAQ
      • How do I escalate an issue?
      • When will I receive an invoice?
    • Product Updates
      • April 29th, 2025
      • April 16th, 2025
      • March 20th, 2025
      • February 3rd, 2025
      • January 7th, 2025
      • 2024
        • November 25th, 2024
        • November 12th, 2024
        • September 30th, 2024
        • September 1st, 2024
        • August 19th, 2024
        • July 19th, 2024
        • June 25th, 2024
        • June 11th, 2024
        • May 30th, 2024
        • May 2nd, 2024
        • April 22nd, 2024
        • March 18th, 2024
        • February 13th, 2024
        • January 23rd, 2024
      • 2023
        • October 3rd, 2023
        • August 30th, 2023
        • July 17th, 2023
        • July 4th, 2023
        • June 14th, 2023
        • June 2nd, 2023
        • May 4th, 2023
        • February 27th, 2023
        • February 10th, 2023
        • January 25th, 2023
    • ISO 27001
      • Data Access Requests
      • Information Security News
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Part One
  • Planning Tips
  • Part Two
  • Facilitation Guidelines
  • Immediately After Employee Focus Groups

Was this helpful?

Export as PDF
  1. STEP 6: DISCUSS, CLARIFY & PLAN
  2. Focus Groups

Conduct a Focus Group

Part One

Employee focus groups probe identified problems and causes, and surface suggested solutions. The process allows participants to contribute without much preparation or effort, and promotes a healthy sense among employees that they’re genuinely being “heard.”

Here is an easy to follow, step-by-step guide on how to dig deep and get the most out of your focus group efforts:

Planning Tips

Question your reasons

Before deciding whether to use employee focus group interviews as a source of information, answer these questions:

  • What goals do you hope to meet using a focus group? Why did employees score low on XYZ dimension? What examples have been observed? How important is each dimension to employees? What could/should be done to improve this area?

  • What purpose will the data serve? To provide input to the action planning process and help Executives make decisions about where and how to prioritize their efforts.

  • From whom do you want to collect information? (Be specific). Managers and non-managers from across all functional groups at the organization.

Write a brief, easily understood statement of purpose

Use the answers to the guiding questions noted above. No more than three sentences are needed. For example:

  • The purpose of the focus group process is to gather employee and manager input on Professional Growth, Innovation and Teamwork and how these areas can be improved.

  • Employees and managers will be asked to comment on their experiences, observations and the level of importance they place on each issue as well as how they would suggest improvement.

  • Employee and manager participation at this stage in our planning is intended to provide executives with concrete ideas and priorities of how to turn survey results into action.

Identify a good facilitator

Finding an experienced facilitator is the most important thing you can do to ensure good results from your focus groups. The facilitator guides conversation by asking questions, probing to clarify answers, keeping the group on topic, and making sure everyone is heard. These skills take practice. Make sure your facilitator has run focus groups in the past. The following skills and characteristics are beneficial:

  • Energetic – keeps the discussion lively, interesting and productive.

  • Personable – puts participants at ease early in the session so they can comfortably and actively participate in discussions.

  • Agile thinker – handles quick changes in the session.

  • Organized – develops an effective written agenda and produces results within the preferred time frame.

  • Active listener- attends to each participant, clarifying meanings by using probing techniques such as paraphrasing.

  • Remembers – connects a participant’s current statement to a previous statement, developing a better understanding of the participant’s feelings and stimulating more discussion.

  • Knowledgeable- possesses background knowledge on the topic and organization. Is experienced.

Identify a good note taker

The reporter or note taker plays a vital role in a focus group discussion. This scribe must capture as much accurate detail from the discussion as possible and note participant comments, group dynamics, and interesting shifts in conversation. While it’s best to make an audio recording of your focus groups to ensure there’s a complete record of what was discussed, it’s still important to have a note taker present as both an observer and reporter.

Develop carefully worded questions

Yes-or-no questions are one dimensional and don’t stimulate discussion. “Why” questions can put people on the defensive and may lead to “politically correct” responses on controversial issues. Open-ended questions are the most useful because they allow participants to tell their story in their own words and add details that can result in unanticipated insights.

  • What do you think about…?

  • How do you feel about…?

  • What do you like best (or least) about…?

Plan your session(s)

Scheduling – plan meetings to be one to two hours long. Over lunch seems to be a good time for participants to find time to attend. Provide refreshments especially if the session is held over lunch. Location/setting – hold sessions in a conference room or other setting with adequate air flow and lighting. Some other factors to consider when choosing a location:

  • What message does the setting send? (Is it corporate, upscale, informal, sterile, or inviting?)

  • Does the setting encourage conversation?

  • How will the setting affect the information gathered? Will the setting bias the information offered?

  • Can it comfortably accommodate the number of participants, where all can view each other?

  • Is it easily accessible? (consider access for people with disabilities, safety, transportation, parking, proximity, and convenience).

Develop an agenda or focus group discussion guide

Outline the flow of questions and topics to be covered. Build time into the discussion guide to pursue topics of interest that are raised by participants during the discussion and reveal ideas or sentiments that weren’t predicted. A typical employee focus group agenda includes:

  • Welcome

  • Review of agenda

  • Review of meeting objectives

  • Confidentiality commitment to participants and from participants to each other

  • Review of ground rules

  • Introductions

  • Discussions of three to four focus group topics – for example: impact, root causes, expectations for improvement, possible solutions

  • Summary and wrap up

Select and invite participants

Develop a list of attributes to guide the selection of participants. Typically you’ll want participants who cover a cross section of these attributes, such as:

  • Functional group/business unit

  • Gender

  • Geographic location

  • Length of service at organization

  • Employee Status (employee, management, etc.)

As a general guideline you can also follow the outline below:

  • Organization <250 employees = 3 focus groups

  • Organization <1,000 employees = 3 to 5 focus groups

  • Organization 1,000+ employees = 6+ focus groups

Each focus group should comprise 6 to 10 people to allow for smooth conversation flow. The common practice is to invite one and one-half as many people as you want to come (for a 66% response rate). For a focus group of 6 to 10 this means inviting between 9 and 15 participants for each session. To ensure open and honest input, keep manager sessions separate from non-manager focus groups. One-on-one interviews are recommended for executives if they’re going to be part of the process.

Part Two

Facilitation Guidelines

Employee focus groups can dig deeper into problems and causes identified in employee surveys, and can surface suggested solutions. Once you have determined the purpose of your employee focus group, what questions will be asked, and have finalized the timing and location of your focus group, it’s time to ensure you’re ready to facilitate the discussions.

Use the following step-by-step facilitation guide below to gather open and honest employee feedback.

Build rapport at the outset

Often participants don’t know what to expect from focus group discussions. It’s helpful for the facilitator to outline the purpose and format of the discussion at the beginning of the session to set the group at ease. Participants should be told the discussion is informal, everyone is expected to participate, and divergent views are welcome. Rapport is important to the facilitation process because it can dramatically influence the willingness of participants to answer questions, and how openly and honestly they answer the questions they’re asked.

Let participants know you’re there to learn from them.

Establish ground rules

At the beginning of a focus group, it’s helpful to let everyone know about some ways to make the process smooth and respectful for all participants. The following are some recommended guidelines or “ground rules” that help establish a group norm:

  • Only one person talks at a time.

  • Confidentiality is assured. “What is shared in the room stays in the room.”

  • It’s important to hear everyone’s ideas and opinions. There are no right or wrong answers – just ideas, experiences and opinions, which are all valuable.

  • It’s important to hear all sides of an issue – both positive and negative.

  • It’s important for women’s and men’s ideas to be equally represented and respected.

Once the above ground rules have been presented, it’s important to ask participants if they have anything to add to the list.

Ensure even participation

When posing a new discussion topic, allow a few moments for each member to carefully formulate their answers. If one or two people are dominating the meeting, call on others. Consider using a round-table approach giving each person a minute or two to answer the question. If domination persists, bring it to the attention of the group and ask for ideas about how participation can be increased.

Listen carefully

Active listening allows you to probe effectively and at appropriate points during the focus group. It involves not only hearing what someone is saying, but also noticing body posture and facial gestures that might provide clues as to the appropriate or necessary ways to engage participants.

While showing participants that you’re actively listening and interested in what they’re sharing, remain as neutral or impartial as possible, even if you have a strong opinion about something. Comments that infer your opinion and impose judgment will shut down discussion.

Use probing techniques

If participants give incomplete or irrelevant answers, probe for fuller, clearer responses. A few suggested techniques are:

  • Repeat the question – repetition gives more time to think.

  • Pause for the answer – a thoughtful nod or expectant look can convey that you want a fuller answer.

  • Repeat the reply – hearing it again sometimes stimulates conversation.

  • Ask questions to provoke more detail – use neutral comments:

    • How so?

    • Please tell me (more) about that…?

    • Could you explain what you mean by…?

    • Can you tell me something else about…?

    • Can you tell me more?

    • What specifically do you mean by that?

    • Can you share an example of what you’ve mentioned?

    • Is there anything else?

Monitor time closely

Stick as closely as possible to the agenda and time frames in order to touch on all questions planned. At the end of the session tell participants if they feel they didn’t have time to make a point or suggestion to write it on the notepad provided and hand it to the facilitator before leaving.

After each question is answered
  • Carefully reflect back a summary of what you heard.

  • The note taker/reporter may be in the best position do this.

Close the session on a high note

Tell participants they’ll receive a copy of the report generated from their answers, reiterate the commitment to mutual confidentiality, thank everyone for coming and adjourn the gathering.

Immediately After Employee Focus Groups

  • Verify the recorder, if used, worked throughout the session.

  • Make additional notes on your written notes, to clarify illegible scribbling or notes that don’t make sense, ensure pages are numbered, etc.

  • Write down any observations made during the session. For example, the nature of participation in the group, any surprises.

  • Conduct moderator and reporter/assistant moderator debriefing.

  • Note themes, hunches, interpretations and ideas.

PreviousFocus GroupsNextFocus Group Invitation Email - Template

Last updated 1 year ago

Was this helpful?

Compare and contrast this focus group to other groups.