Community Engagement for Public Professionals: Focus Groups

This workshop, the third of a series on community engagement led by Dr. Deborah D. Stine, will focus on the use of focus groups to collect information from community members. Participants will learn how to capture a wide range of insights, design engaging and inclusive focus group questions, recruit a representative mix of participants, and create a comfortable environment that encourages open and honest discussion. Through interactive activities and case studies, attendees will learn techniques for managing group dynamics and synthesizing feedback. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to use focus groups as a strategic tool in their community engagement efforts, enabling them to gather comprehensive and nuanced input that informs policy and program decisions. Future workshops will delve into using surveys as well as effectively communicating engagement results as well as scientific and technical information to policymakers and the public.