Welcome

Quick purpose: We're here to get you ready to facilitate focus groups: (total of 13 groups, four in middle school will have high school facilitators)

Introductions

More detailed purpose

• The "charge" to complete research for school board by 10/26
  
• Longer-term interest in school-community capability to conduct research and dialogue (not everyone trained today will get to facilitate in the first round; the skills will still be useful in other settings and you will have more opportunities for focus groups as well)
  
• Facilitation as one piece of a whole process (metaphor: If the whole research project were building a house from scratch, other people would have picked the location, dug the foundation, and put up the basic structure; as facilitators you're like the electrical crew, coming in to do a specific job that is essential - get those lights on - for the four middle school groups)
  
• Short training time frame means we won't be explaining much of the other parts of the whole building project; if you want to know more, we brought some materials and there will eventually be wider roles for interested students.

Preview the training

• Experience - Description/Teaching - Practice
  
• Like a meal eaten in stages, with time to talk about each stage, learn a little about the recipes
  
• At the end of the training you will have seen key aspects of a focus group, and you will know the most important aspects of focus group facilitation.
  
• We will select the facilitators for the school climate/school safety middle school focus groups by drawing lots later in the training. We will draw two female facilitators and two male facilitators from this group.

Creating/observing the opening of a focus group

• Get students to help figure out an introductory question that would work well with middle school students [Note: In Jessamine County, the high school students chose "Tell us your favorite food" as a good opening question for helping middle school students introduce themselves.]
  
• Draw a random sample of eight students from the group to participate in model focus group (NOT to be confused with drawing the facilitators at the end of the training) - remaining students will be the observers
  
• Explain the participants' role (to relax and be in the group) and the observers' role (to watch and learn from the facilitators)
  
• Run the opening through asking Interview Question 1 (may need to run a shortened version)

Learning about facilitation from the opening

• What did anyone notice about the facilitators?
  
• Underscore neutrality
  
• Underscore warmth, hospitality, comfort
  
• Underscore ground rules
  
• Underscore willingness to ask questions and wait

Creating/observing the heart of a focus group

• If enough people are present, draw a different sample of eight
  
• Remind both participants and observers of their roles
  
• Run shortened versions of Interview Questions 2, 3, and 4

Learning more about facilitation

• What did people notice?
  
• Underscore neutrality
  
• Underscore balancing participation, including "going around the room"
  
• Underscore follow-up questions
  
• Underscore trial-and-error approach to getting conversation going
  
• Be sure people understand how to pick up the cards in order from Question 2, write numbers on them, and put a band around them to give to the senior researchers

Creating/observing the final stages

• If it seems appropriate, create a new participant group
  
• Remind both participants and observers of their roles
  
• Run shortened versions of Questions 5, 6, and closing

Learning from final questions and closing

• What did people notice?
  
• Underscore participants trusting the facilitator to know what to do (so they can relax)
  
• Underscore providing people a sense of contribution and closure

Practice

• Draw names of two female and two male facilitators plus an alternate female and male (these will be the actual facilitators)
  
• Set up two practice groups (with observers if groups have more than eight members)
  
• Coach the chosen facilitators to practice getting started and do a little bit of work on some interview questions
  
• Stop the practice and ask the facilitators to talk about what they need to know to do their work; provide coaching
  
• Restart the practice; keep repeating until time is up
  
• If practical, arrange for others in the group to take a turn as facilitators

Closing and clearing up questions

• Ask what questions people have; answer as many as possible
  
• Underscore neutrality, hospitality, equity/balance
  
• Get contact info for the identified facilitators and alternates
  
• Share Roberts & Kay, Inc. contact info
  
• For the chosen facilitators and alternates, deal with logistical questions (date and place, tape recorder, arrival time, etc.)

Adjourn