Book Image

Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers

By : Sharlyn Lauby
Book Image

Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers

By: Sharlyn Lauby

Overview of this book

Table of Contents (12 chapters)

What is a focus group?


Merriam-Webster defines a focus group as a small group of people whose opinions about something (such as a new product) are studied to learn the opinions that can be expected from a larger group. It's a very broad definition intentionally. Focus groups have tremendous flexibility, and that's one of the reasons they are a popular way to get information and feedback.

Focus groups can be either internal or external:

  • Internal focus groups are intended to gather employee feedback. The topics can range from employee attitudes about the company benefit package to feedback for the design of the organization's customer service training program.

  • External focus groups are planned to get customer feedback about a product or service. It could be to receive feedback about an existing product or service, as well as a future one.

Whether the audience is internal or external, the goal is the same—to get feedback.

Focus group goals

Focus groups initially emerged in marketing disciplines...