Church of St. Gregory’s Focus Group

Facilitation Guideline

What is a facilitator?• Facilitate means “to make easy.”• As a facilitator,

– your job is to make the meeting easier for the participants.

• A facilitator – manages the method of the meeting, rather

than the content. – Facilitators are concerned with how decisions

are made instead of what decisions are reached.

Facilitator responsibilitiesBe enthusiastic Be energeticBe open-mindedBe Self – OrganizedEstablish a rapport with the group and set the stage for a

productive discussion.Stay alert to group dynamics, to recognize threats to

productive group discussion Manage group dynamics so that discussion flows

smoothly and people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. There are no wrong answers

Stay open-minded themselves so that the preconceptions about the topic and the participants are minimized

State the questions clearly

Key Characteristicsfor a focus group

6 to 12 peopleParticipants are homogenous on the basis of recruitment Led by a facilitator (usually 2) in a group interview format1-1 ½ hours duration; max is 2 hrsUsed when qualitative information is needed – goal is NOT

to reach consensus, solve a problem or make a decision Seek to obtain insights into attitudes, perceptions, beliefs

and feelings among the participants Questions are predetermined, sequenced, and open-ended

Why a focus group?Identifying needs and expectations of

stakeholdersProbing for perceptions and experiences Obtain feedback for improvement and

expansionObtaining more detail from key issues

identified in the survey

Structured QuestionsAssists the group to be on “focus”Assists the facilitator to be on track Allows opportunities for everyone to

participateEnsures that specific areas are covered Provides some structureAllows for more quantifiable information to

be collected

Respectful RulesBe respective of participantsInterpret feedback accuratelyClarify any statements, using open ended

questions (how, why, what) Clear up any misunderstandings of

informationBe objective, please refrain from giving an

opinion, if wish to give one , you are welcome to join a focus group

Respectful RulesAim for balance

Empathy with a participant and bias that prevents you from seeing the situation in another point of view

Individuals story and the need for the group to fully participate

Emotions- your own feelings to a response and your professional responsibility to manage the discussion

Order - between the questions as planned and the unexpected direction that may occur

Communications SkillsNon-Verbal Skills Active ListeningAdopt a relaxed open

postureListen with your eyes as

well as your ears-look at the speaker

Listen for basic fact and main ideas

Listen for attitudes, opinions, or beliefs

Do not interrupt the speaker

Use positive, non-verbal communication to prompt the speaker

Be aware of the speaker's non-verbal communication

Repeating key phrases: ‘more specific information ..’

Summarizing messages: ‘So, what you’re wanting to see here is…’

Showing empathy: ‘It must have been really frustrating ….’

Repeat your understanding of their comments in your own words

Ask the speaker if that is correct and for any clarifications

Make sure key points by the speaker are captured

Ask as a check to verify understanding

When to use Active Listening?

The person isn’t being clear You are reacting defensively to what is

being discussedYou want to demonstrate that you

understandYou want to defuse the situation You want to sum up what has been saidYou want to elicit more information You want to move on

Handling SituationsAssertion Skills –

be clear, firm, respectful if session is not going in the desired direction.

“I would like to move on”, “We are going off track”

Criticism: Please do not be defensive especially if a

participant criticizes us, our service or organization. Politely defer to the end of the discussion and then obtain the nature of the problem, showing concern and empathy and then relay the issue and information to Fr. John

Remember

If the going gets toughUse your own (very good) judgmentTune in to the atmosphere of the groupTwo heads are better than one (co-

facilatator /notetaker assists)Use a combination of listening skills and

assertion skills

Getting StartedMain facilitator will

be given their list of focus group and participants

contact the participants and co- facilitator schedule a convenient time to set up the

interviewYou may use the rectory for your

interview, contact Judy Walsh to reserveConduct interviews by Aug 31st Contact Judy Walsh with the date and time

of your interview and where it will be held if not at the rectory

Beginning of the Session 2 co facilitator

One leads the interviewingOne takes notes and keeps time and assist if

neededStart on time;

Provide refreshments upon arrival but must be brief

Have ready:Your introduction (provided tonight) Copy of the questions for each participant

(provided tonight and rectory will make copies for the group)

Focus group participant list Note book – for recording commentsClosing statement

General DiscussionGreet each participant You will open by thanking the group for their timeExplain the purpose of the focus group Start the session by introducing yourself and the group

members – quickly!You will explain that there will be two facilitators

One to manage the discussion/questions/ One to take the notes

We want all participants to be comfortableNo person should be compelled to participate in a focus

group, or to answer a question nor should they be made to remain if they wish to leave

State that Confidentiality will be maintained The note taker may take a name for reference ( if need to call for

clarification) however the name will not be placed in the completed focus summary which will be submitted unless the person consents!

Not all participants may answer every questions due to time allowance.

InterviewingProvide the participants a copy of the questions

after your introduction and welcomeEnsure all participants with reasonable airspaceRotate the participant who answers the

questions. Avoid having the same person answer first.

Make sure all answer before a second round of opinions

Ensure that the questions provided are the focus of the discussion

Our purpose is to keep positive, if there are criticisms of the past remember we are discussing the future. Don’t concentrate on one topic question at the expense of others. Write down the criticism so we can follow up later.

Note- takingBoth facilitators my take brief notes, but one

should have primary responsibility Should summarize the key points being made by

the focus groupTry to record the comments in the appropriate

space of the interview schedule so that minimal sorting has to be done later

Use Tick marks when there is agreement between several members on an issue, tick the comment by the number of people

Record good quotes verbatim, so they can provide flavor to the report.

Submit summary to Judy Walsh no later than 48hours after the interview!

Note takingReport participants’ words but do not identify them by name Describe main participant characteristics Use descriptive phrases or words used by participants as they discussed the key

question Identify themes in the responses to the key questions Identify sub-themes indicating a point of view held by participants with common

characteristics Include a description of participant enthusiasm or other group characteristics if

relevant if there as inconsistency between participant comments and their reported

behaviors, record thisSuggest new avenues of questioning that should be considered in future: should

questions be revised, eliminated, added, etc.Summarize the overall mood of discussion In giving meaning to the descriptions, be careful about your own biases in

interpretation

If you run out of timemust be sensitive to the atmosphere to choose

the best optionAsk the group if you can extend the current session

Work quickly through the key questions with the time remaining

Finish before having all your questions answered

Allow for follow up feedback given by phone or email

ClosureLet the group know that if they wish to

see their focus group notes they may contact the note taker

Explain that once all the focus group interviews have been conducted and notes summarized, the pastoral council will review them to formulate their next steps in determining St Gregory’s goal for the five year plan which will be communicated in the bulletin

Thank the group for their time and input

St. Gregory’s Focus Groups Lectors

 Eucharistic Ministers  Religious Formation Teachers

 Saturday Morning Men’s Group

 Women’s Guild and Prayer Shawl

Daily Mass

 

Parents- High School Students Parents – Elem/MS Students Young Adults- 18-30 Years

 Married Individuals

 Separated/Divorced/Single Adults/Senior Citizens/Disabled

 General Group – 2

Focus Group Questions1. Looking at your experience in our parish, can you recall a time when you felt

most alive, most proud, most enthused or most committed to St. Gregory's? What are the things that excite you about St. Gregory's?

2. How would you go about engaging people in a fuller, more active and conscious participation at the Eucharist? What do you value most about Sunday Eucharist?

3. What do you value most about your involvement at our parish? What are the opportunities that we are missing to actively engage you, your friends or family, more into our church community?

4. In what way does our parish work to accommodate people and families who have physical, spiritual, emotional or other needs? How do we reach out to them?

5. In what ways could our youth be more fully integrated into the faith community of St. Gregory's parish?

6. Looking to the future, if you could transform our parish in any way you wished, what three things would you do to enhance its life and vitality? Just list the 3 things.

7. What is your current assessment of our parish facilities in light of the evangelizing mission of the Church?

Any questions ???

Thank you for assisting in this

endeavor!