Focus Groups: Not Your Average Market Research Strategy

Focus groups are used broadly to gather information from people in order to inform marketing strategies or evaluate new products. But focus groups used to assess programming and victims' experiences with systems, as those used in a Safety & Accountability Audit (or community assessment), are qualitatively different. Focus groups, community conversations, talking circles, or group interviews with survivors help to identify the gaps between victims' needs and what the system provides. They help to clarify how different groups experience certain practices as helpful or not. Careful, thoughtful preparation, facilitation, and analysis are keys to honoring the unique insights survivors have of system responses. This webinar will discuss concrete strategies and tools to organize, gather, and document this crucial information directly from survivors to incorporate into your institutional reform efforts.