Anyone in Dorset with a shared interest and/or experience in a particular topic or issue.

To enable a group of people to discuss a specific topic or issue in a structured way. The sharing of experiences and interaction between participants is a key asset of focus groups.

This approach uses a moderator to lead a guided group discussion with around six to eight participants. A topic or issue is explored in depth using questions or prompts – these should be open-ended to encourage sharing.

A trained facilitator is recommended to lead and moderate a focus group discussion. A variety of training options are available, including free online courses. A moderator should be able to create a comfortable environment for participants, ensure all are able to contribute, and be confident supporting group dynamics.

Variable depending on project scope and availability of in-house moderation skills. If delivering in-house consider re-imbursement of participants time and expenses, venue hire, and the resources required to collect, transcribe and analyse focus group data. External agencies often offer focus group facilitation, data collection and analysis, but this will increase costs.

Focus groups have an upfront administrative and organisational commitment – ensure you schedule sufficient time to recruit participants, manage the invitation process, arrange venues and equipment and develop your focus group questions (including a test run).

The focus group itself should be relatively brief – between one or two hours, plus travel time for participants. Running more than one focus group is recommended to gather a range of views.