I just finished one of SirsiDynix’ free webinars — what a great experience! Focus Groups: Perceptions for Planning is really about when to consider using focus groups - when not to - and how. I liken focus groups to organizational leadership. To be an effective leader, you need to journey within yourself. The same is true for organizations. To be a leader, organizations have to know who they are, what they stand for, and where their leadership comes from — or doesn’t come at all. Leadership, for individuals and for organizations, involves discipline, integrity, focus and hard work.
Focus groups are a fabulous - and fun way - for an organization to better understand itself or one or more of its services and how it is perceived within its market or constituency.
To gather that “gold” afforded by groups, focus groups need to be approached as guided discovery into the perceptions & opinions of representatives of your community or your university or your corporation. The facilitator is really the guide leading the group as they explore a specific topic or section of their environment. It’s not a beef session or a forum for complaints or suggestions — it is a group’s opportunity to focus on a concept.
What’s most often forgotten by those putting focus groups together is that the there needs to be something in this for participants. The WIIFM (what’s in it for me) syndrome goes beyond the $5.00 gift certificate you may give them to get a coffee, or the USB, or whatever gift you are offering them. What’s sometimes more important for them is that they get something out of the focus group — that they learn something they didn’t know, or they engage in a dialogue that’s interesting for them, or they just have a good time!
Critical success factors for effective focus groups?
1. Having no more than 3 clear objectives; what don’t you know now that you want to know at the end of the focus groups? These objectives drive the form of the group, the types of participants/thinking required, & the questions or “discussion starters.”
2. Participants (no more than 15, no less than 5 in a “room setting”; maximum 8 online or 6 on phone (at least for me that’s the max!)); a good “mix” of participants relevant to your objectives.
3. A competent facilitator who is an expert “listener” — who can take in all that is being said & not said plus the group dynamics & emotions — & then synthesize & analyze this into what it all means. If you want to use someone on staff, they absolutely can’t have any ownership of the plan, service or concept being discussed by the group. A facilitator isn’t a talker — a facilitator is a senser & a delicate prober who can quickly establish credibility & rapport with a group, and keep them on track without upsetting anyone.
4. Preparation, preparation, and…..preparation. A solid discussion guide; a comfortable room; inviting participants, following-up with participants, and following up again; tent cards for each participant, recorder, you name it — be prepared.
5. Pre-think & follow-up for participants. Send participants an outline prior to the session — it engages them & let’s them know their input is expected. Then follow-up with a draft of the focus group results; it reinforces the value of their input & says “thanks” much more than any form letter.
And thanks to SirsiDynix for these webinars!! Richard Hulser’s “Getting the Most out of Vendor Partnerships” and Helene Blowers’ “From Libraries to Lifebraries” are just 2 of the latest FREE (did I say FREE? yep, FREE) webinars on topics critical for libraries by some of the best, experienced practitioners out there.
So wonderful to see the creativity & fun in public libraries. Ontario Library Association challenged libraries to “pimp their booktrucks” - and they did! Ontario Library Service - North in Sudbury and Springwater Library (in between Collingwood and Barrie — hopefully that doesn’t offend anyone!) took the Gold & Silver medals. Way to go! We’ve been so privileged to work with both of these organizations — fabulous staff & hotbeds of humour.
It’s so exciting how Information Today is using its content management system to build a community for their conference events that I’m using Google’s doodle to celebrate with some fiddling! Yes today is the 332nd birthday of Antonio Vivaldi, an Italian composer. But I digress, something unusual for me, right?
So go to the Computers in Libraries 2010 website and click on speakers. You can now reach those speakers through Twitter, Facebook, their blog, or LinkedIn when they update their speaker page. Check out Joe Murphy and myself, Jane Dysart, to get the idea. Computers in Libraries 2010 also has a wiki to build more community, and this year has a special section — 25th anniversary memory bank. If you have a vibrant memory of a past Computers in Libraries conference, please share it!
I have been fascinated by Google doodles for years and often include them in posts. Now here is an interesting article from Interbrand’s blog that all sites can learn from:
“Well, aside from being fun, inspiring, and surprising as a recent CNN interview with Google Doodle web designer Michael Lopez suggests, its also a fresh way to update Google’s extremely simple homepage—something that is harder than it might seem at first glance.”
With an extremely minimal and simple design, Google’s site is made up of three elements: “a colorful, iconic logo (the design of which, good and/or bad, is topic for another discussion), a search bar, and a massive amount of white space. This allows Google to be a calm, but positive breather before you dive into the bottomless whirlpool of information. ”
“And yet, while this approach is quite successful, these three elements can also be a little limiting when it comes to accurately representing a brand personality and staying fresh and relevant in the climate of an ever changing Internet. Google needed something else to visually carry the brand. Something that could speak to who they are, yet also be organic enough to mold to anything the world throws their way. Enter the Google Doodle.”
“What was initially a quirky holiday illustration is now becoming a vital tool in communicating Google’s brand personality. Visually, it gives Google endless possibilities in a technology market that has just that–endless possibilities. It enables Google to keep the pace and stay relevant in the world that is never static. And it does all of this in a way that celebrates the Google brand in a strategic and successful way.”
I am happy to see a site that archives Google doodles and logos, and lists a number of other sites to check for more! And also I’m honoring the Canadian Olympic Hockey team with my choice of doodle today! They definitely added to the smiles and spirit of all Canadians. Congrats to all the participating athletes from all the countries represented — well done!
The Human Library in its initial form is a mobile library set up as a space for dialogue and interaction. Visitors to the Human Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with “people on loan”;this latter group being extremely varied in age, sex and cultural background.
With these principles in mind, OLA is featuring a career focus for conference delegates who wish to borrow a Living Book. The purpose is to encourage open discussion about interesting, unusual, or leadership career positions with a view to:exploring and expanding the scope of career opportunities for people to consider, anddebunking stereotypes (good or bad) associated with career paths (let’s face it – we have them!). The delegates may be students developing their career ambitions, or seasoned professionals who are intrigued by the career path you have taken.
Delegates will be informed of our loan policy: “please remember that all Living Books have kindly volunteered to be lent out as examples of some intriguing career paths. They must be returned to us in the same condition, as they were in at the time of check-out. You are encouraged to ask questions and share your own point of view, but always with respect for the person who has volunteered. The Living Book can choose to discontinue a loan and return to the Library, if he or she feels so inclined. “
I just love what social media is adding to the 2010 Olympics! From the thousands of tweets from the #Olympics Twitter feed, to YouTube videos, to Facebook, social media is definitely enriching my experience of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Amazing.
My favorite tweets so far are from the people calling curling “ice shuffleboard” but the number of tweets supporting the athletes is truly incredible. On Facebook, I became a fan of Vancouver 2010 Olympics and last night right after the Canada/Swiss hockey game, they posted asking who had seen the game. Within 4 minutes I and three hundred others had responded that we liked it! Every time I refreshed my screen it went up by 50+ people and within 24 minutes over 1500 “liked” the post and a third had made comments. After 10 hours, over 3,500 “liked” the post and 1,150+ had made comments about the post. YouTube has a rich base of videos about the Olympics but several of my favorites include commercials about future young athletes and Canada’s first gold medal on home soil, but I also love Shaun White’s gold medal big air performance with amazing spins, flips and twists (all together!).
So social media is definitely engaging and bringing the world together over wonderful global events. Yeah!
Interesting to see the new style of Google doodle for the 21st Winter Olymics and fantastic to see all the wonderful international athletes gather in my country — 82 nations are represented. As my friend Stephen says,”with all their positive attitues and karma all in one place. They set an example that everything is possible.” I certainly believe that too!
How exciting to see how social media is affecting the games this year . The twitter feed was amazing during the opening ceremonies — seemed like 1000 tweets per minute at #olympics. I couldn’t keep up but had a good time reviewing some very funny comments!
Since my son used to do “spinny, flippy things” on a snowboard I particularly loved the beginning of the opening ceremonies with the snowboarder at the top of a pristine hill, racing down amid dramatic views, flying through a maple leaf llighted by many torch bearers, and culminating in the indoor venue (a first for the Olympics) of the opening ceremonies, B.C. Place. I do hope that segment gets posted on YouTube, as I’d love to see it again.
However, it is also a very sad beginning to this great event with the death of a 21 year old athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvill. Great to see that today’s Google doodle is indeed a luger.
I bought a new TV for the kitchen last night. Yes, I did. The “big screen” may be in the family room, but the truth is that we are often all parked with our laptops & homework/work at the kitchen island watching the 13″ little bubble. Well, the Olympics starts tonight - right in our own country, and I don’t plan on missing much of it. And, I want my kids to see the Olympians — the athletes & the coaches & the families — and to hear their incredible stories and maybe, just maybe, pick up something from these stories.
We all have much to learn from the Olympians; talk about having vision. Talk about picturing that ideal state & working towards it! Talk about perseverance, and building relationships to make things happen.
When “Six Things We can Learn from Olympians” landed in my Blogger, I was hi-5ing my computer (being careful not to hurt the screen, of course). Here’s their 6 things with my musings:
1. Set a goal and break it down into tasks with timelines. Not a revolutionary idea, but, wow, libraries & businesses somehow get freaked by the big goal & forget that it’s just a bunch of little goals building on each other over time.
2. Cross-train. You use many skills along the way, and you need many different skills to accomplish tasks. Cross-train yourself & others.
3. Workout with Others. You can’t do it alone. Unhuh. Work with & partner with others — others that are at different levels, and with different perspectives & know-how.
4. Create a team. Enough said.
5. Find your Motivation. If you aren’t inspired, ask yourself, honestly, why that is. Those goals you set back at #1 are useless if you aren’t motivated to reach the vision — and if that vision doesn’t PULL you towards it.
6. Put on an Olympic Attitude. Think winning. Thinking winning with the team. Think fun & inspiration & reaching your vision - and helping those you work with or live with reach their vision. Put on the Olympic motto of “Swifter, Higher, Stronger” for your library, your organization, your team, yourself, your family. It doesn’t mean hurting others on your way to your vision. It does mean vision, passion, dedication, teaming, collaboration, & joy. Never forget the joy.
It’s hard typing with these red Canadian Olympic mittens on! Have a great weekend all!
I often turn to Henry Mintzberg’s writings for his sage advice on management and leadership, yet tonight I found his advice on teaching. Here’s his “Ten Rules for Professors Who Want to Educate Real Managers”; they apply to anyone who is leading any kind of workshop, class, course, podcast or any other learning event:
1, 2, 3. Don’t pack it. Don’t pack it. Don’t pack it.
4. Schedule an extra hour for each session, but don’t tell the instructors until they arrive so they will have more time to turn the discussion over to the managers.
5. Profess less. Participants have at least as much to learn from each other as from the professors. (This is about what they learn, not about what we teach.)
6. Let participants run with the material on their agendas.
7. Be flexible. Let good discussion go on. If necessary, cut
what has to be “covered.”
8, 9, 10. Listen. Listen. Listen.
If you get nothing else out of that list, go back to #5; learning isn’t about what we trainers have to teach — it’s ALL about what the learners have to learn.
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I just finished one of SirsiDynix’ free webinars — what a great experience! Focus Groups: Perceptions for Planning is really about when to consider using focus groups - when not to - and how. I liken focus groups to organizational leadership. To be an effective leader, you need to journey within yourself. The same is true for organizations. To be a leader, organizations have to know who they are, what they stand for, and where their leadership comes from — or doesn’t come at all. Leadership, for individuals and for organizations, involves discipline, integrity, focus and hard work.
