Beyond the Survey: a practical approach to interviews and focus groups

Course Objectives:

Presenters: Stephanie Gerding and Brenda Hough ​

Do you want a more in-depth understanding of the true needs of your community? Are you interested in learning easy ways to get valuable input and advice from your staff or public by conducting focus groups and interviews? Would like to learn how to communicate the library story using meaningful examples to make your case and get results?

During this one-hour webinar, you will learn the four steps involved in focus groups and interviews. You'll discover how to clearly define the goal or purpose, how to select participants, and how to successfully conduct the focus group or interviews. We'll also discuss how to analyze and synthesize the data to create valuable results that you can package and deliver in meaningful and useful ways.

We will show you how to be successful whether conducting interviews and focus groups in-person or online. If you are planning training for your staff, working on a strategic plan, gathering expert knowledge to solve a problem, or gathering stories to influence politicians and decision-makers, this is the webinar for you!

At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will be able to:

Recognize when to conduct focus groups or interviews. Incorporate tips and best practices for planning and conducting successful focus groups and interviews. Analyze and present the data from focus groups and interviews.

This webinar will be of interest to any library staff interested in using focus groups or interviews for the purposes of strategic planning, evaluation, needs assessments, gathering staff input, advocacy, or change management.