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Organise Focus Groups

Focus groups bring multiple stakeholders together to score IROs collectively, with the goal of reaching group consensus. A facilitator runs the session and enters the agreed scores into Karomia.

Preparing for focus groups​

Before your session, do a test run to familiarise yourself with the flow. Plan for approximately 90 minutes per session with around 40 questions. Print score cards for each participant to use during the session — participants record their individual scores on paper before the group discusses and agrees on a final score.

Starting the session​

Click Start session on the Karomia platform to open the focus group interface in a new browser tab. Indicate the total number of participants before proceeding.

Starting a focus group session on your Karomia platform

Focus group flow​

  1. Scoring — Participants score each IRO individually using their printed score cards. The facilitator then presents the scores to the group.

    An example of a focus group scoring question on the Karomia platform

  2. Score breakdown (optional) — Toggle the score breakdown view to show individual dimension scores (scale, scope, likelihood, etc.) rather than a single combined score. This can help the group understand where differences of opinion lie.

    An example of a score breakdown during a focus group session

  3. Consensus — The group discusses and agrees on a final score for each IRO. The facilitator enters the agreed score into Karomia. Record all participant comments in the comment box.

  4. Results summary — After all questions are scored, participants see a summary by topic. They can request score adjustments; click Previous to revisit questions.

    An example of the summary of focus group results as shown on your Karomia platform

Guiding toward consensus​

When the group is divided on a score, guide the discussion toward the factors driving the disagreement. Use the score breakdown dimensions as a framework:

  • Is the disagreement about the scale of the impact or risk?
  • Is it about likelihood of occurrence?
  • Is it about the scope — how many people or ecosystems are affected?

Reaching consensus is preferable to averaging, as averaged scores can obscure the reasoning behind the result.

Follow-up editing​

Scores can be edited after the session. Use this to incorporate any clarifications agreed after the session ends. Delete any test sessions created during your preparation.

The session management interface on your Karomia platform