Surveys give you numbers.
Focus groups give you understanding.
You've run the survey. You've got your data. But when leadership asks "why are scores down in that area?" or "what's behind this result?", you're kind of at a loss to explain.
​
Surveys tell you what people think. Focus groups tell you why.
​
The problem is, most internal comms professionals have never been taught how to run focus groups properly. It's intimidating to get a group of colleagues together without a plan or the confidence to facilitate the session.
So we either avoid focus groups entirely or we wing it, Googling templates the night before and hoping for the best.
​
And don't get me started on the anxiety of running a focus group with no training or guidance. What if one person dominates the whole conversation? What if everyone just... sits there in awkward silence? What if they go off on tangents and complain about things you can't do anything about?
​
What should we do then??
And of course there's another hurdle too: turning what you heard into a report that actually gets leadership's attention and leads to real change. How can you turn focus group insights into data that matters?
​
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Most comms professionals were never trained in research methods. We learned on the job, piecing together approaches from whoever taught us and what we could glean from free webinars.
​
But enough of winging it. This course changes that.
What you'll be able to do after
completing this course
By the end of this course, you'll have four key capabilities:
Plan focus groups strategically
Not just throwing questions at people and hoping for useful answers, but designing sessions that deliver the specific insights you need to make better decisions.
Design questions that uncover real thinking
There's a skill to writing questions that get people talking honestly about what they actually think, rather than what they think you want to hear. You'll learn it.
​
Facilitate with confidence [even when it gets tricky]
Someone dominates the conversation? You'll have a plan for that. The group goes silent? You'll know exactly what to do. They veer off-topic? You'll redirect them smoothly. No more lying awake the night before worrying about what could go wrong.
​
Turn conversations into recommendations that drive change
You'll learn how to identify themes, structure your findings and present them in a way that gets leadership attention.
What's inside the course
The course is structured across six modules, each building on the last:
​
Module 1: Focus group fundamentals
-
What focus groups can (and can't) do
-
When to use focus groups instead of surveys
-
Setting yourself up for success from the start
Module 2: How to plan a focus group
-
Choosing the right group size
-
How long sessions should run
-
How many groups you need to see real patterns emerge
-
Virtual vs in-person focus groups
Module 3: Selecting participants
-
Why "whoever volunteers" is a trap
-
How to get the right mix of perspectives in the room
-
Different recruitment approaches and when to use each
​
Module 4: Creating your focus group guide
-
Setting clear objectives
-
The three-part structure that works
-
Writing open-ended questions that generate real conversation
-
Avoiding leading questions that bias your results
​
Module 5: Facilitation techniques
-
Managing dominant participants without shutting them down
-
Drawing out quiet voices
-
Handling tangents, complaints and sensitive topics
-
Keeping discussions on track while staying flexible
​
Module 6: Capturing and using insights
-
Note-taking approaches for virtual and in-person sessions
-
Identifying themes and patterns
-
A simple reporting template you can download and use
-
Presenting findings that get attention and action
What's included?
This course gives you everything you need to confidently plan and run focus groups.
​​
As well as the training modules, you'll get a complete template library that will save you hours of work.
​
-
A reporting template that structures your findings clearly
-
A focus group guide template so you have structure and a clear objective
-
Recruitment email templates you can adapt and send to invite participants
-
Facilitation scripts for opening and closing your focus groups successfully
These aren't theoretical frameworks or academic models. They're the actual tools I use when running focus groups for clients, refined over hundreds of sessions.
​
​
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if:
​
-
You work in internal communications, HR, employee engagement or an adjacent field
-
You want to go beyond your survey data and understand employee opinions and thoughts
-
You want to feel confident running a focus group
-
You want a proven methodology to use, not just templates from Google
-
You're nervous about facilitation and want specific techniques to handle difficult moments
-
You want a structured way to present findings to leaders
​
This probably isn't for you if:
​
-
You're looking for academic theory rather than practical application
-
You're already highly experienced in qualitative research methods
-
You're a focus group expert
-
You really aren't interested in understanding employees thoughts and opinions
​
Meet your instructor
I'm Joanna Parsons, and I've been running focus groups for over 15 years.
​
Not only am I an internal communications consultant, author and trainer, but I'm also a qualified sociologist.
​
I spent four years at Trinity College Dublin studying social research methods, learning the methodology behind qualitative research from academics who wrote the textbooks. Yes, this includes focus groups.​
​​
​
​
​
​​​
I've spent the last 15+ years applying these social research methods inside organisations, running hundreds of focus groups across different industries and companies. I've facilitated conversations about everything from leadership trust to intranet redesigns to major change programmes.
​
I've dealt with the dominant voice in the room who won't stop talking. I've had awkward groups that sits in silence and don't want to open up. I've had sessions that turned into complaints and rants about senior leadership.
​
I've dealt with it all!
​
And now I can confidently run any focus group in any company with any audience - because I have a clear methodology and approach that works.
​
That's what you'll learn from me in this course.
​
All of my years of academic rigour, practical experience and learnings distilled into one course. You'll learn fast, get practical advice and be able to hit the ground running.
​​​
Ready to run focus groups with confidence?
Stop winging it. Learn the methodology that turns conversations into real insights.
​
What you get:
​
-
Six comprehensive modules with video trainings from Joanna
-
Complete template library to help you implement the learning
-
Practical, hands-on advice from an industry expert
-
One year access to course materials​
Sign up now for just €249.
​​