Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 26

speCial FoCus
joined their peers in the meeting
room.
Focus group rooms should be
comfortable and sufficiently spacious.
That means an adequate number
of chairs, moderate lighting, and a
square or circular seating arrangement
that encourages open dialogue. The
location should be a comfortable and
familiar one, such as a space within a
student union or dining hall. The area
should also be easy to get to, especially
for those coming from off campus.
Focus group moderators represent
themselves, their company, and
the institution that has hired them
to gather students' insights and
incorporate them into campus
recommendations. For this reason,
they must conduct themselves
professionally. That means dressing
professionally (but not too formally),
speaking clearly, and keeping the

focus group, well, focused. It is equally
essential to be personable: Talk to the
group not as participants, but as peers.
Ask them to write down their name,
class level, hometown, and current
living arrangement (on campus versus
off campus) so that you can address
them by name. Then ask each person
to introduce themselves to the others.
Show a moderate amount of empathy
when students discuss positive and
negative aspects of campus life. When
appropriate, share stories about your
own campus experience; the more
these students can identify with you,
the more comfortable they will feel
sharing honest opinions.
Clearly, asking questions is only
one part of conducting a focus group,
but it remains an essential element of
a session's success. Ask open-ended
questions in a logical order, garnering
increasingly valuable responses in

a progressive fashion, where each
question builds on the previous one.
Leading questions tend to force certain
responses, which negates the impact
of your back-end analysis. Additionally,
keep track of time to ensure that all
objectives are met, as most attendees
will lose interest within 45 minutes.
In some cases, the focus group
moderator may be confronted with
participants who are unwilling to
engage. In one of our recent focus
groups, participants seemed reticent
and unwilling to speak openly. After
noticing that one student looked at
his watch only 15 minutes into the
meeting, the moderators decided to
toss the script aside and focus instead
on finding a connection point with
each participant. What inspires and
motivates them at school? What
were their first days on campus like?
coNTINues

50

ADDRESS CURRENT CHALLENGES.
HARNESS NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

CORT has worked with some of the top institutions to maintain
older facilities and refresh under-utilized common spaces.
Our furniture management solutions:
 Provide flexible overflow solutions without capital investment
 Address swing space and renovation needs
 Minimize the impact of fluctuations on university and facilities personnel
 Enhance student living environments
For more information, contact a CORT consultant at
1.888.304.2112 or educationsales@cort.com.

26

CRTCOR13030_Talking_Stick_Sept_Oct_Ad_r3.indd 1

TalkiNg STick

cort.com/highered
©2013 CORT. A Berkshire Hathaway Company.

7/29/13 11:46 AM


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Talking Stick - November/December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2013

Talking Stick - November/December 2013
Contents
New Member Highlight
Vision
Just In
Your ACUHO-I
Transitions
Res Life
Business Operations
Special Focus
Calendar
Partnerships in Programming
Mind over Matter
Conversations
First Takes
Reporting Out
New Members
Snapshot
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Talking Stick - November/December 2013
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover2
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 1
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 2
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 3
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - New Member Highlight
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 5
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Vision
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 7
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Just In
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 9
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 10
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 11
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 12
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Your ACUHO-I
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Transitions
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 15
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Res Life
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 17
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 18
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 19
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Business Operations
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 21
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 22
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 23
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Special Focus
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 25
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 26
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Calendar
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Partnerships in Programming
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 29
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 30
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 31
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 32
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 33
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 34
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 35
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Mind over Matter
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 37
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 38
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 39
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 40
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 41
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 42
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 43
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Conversations
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 45
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 46
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - First Takes
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Reporting Out
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 49
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 50
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 51
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 52
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 53
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - New Members
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - 55
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Snapshot
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover3
Talking Stick - November/December 2013 - Cover4
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