EXERCISES

● Read text 1 and answer the questions that follow.

Text 1 - Focus groups - how to run them (by Tim Fidgeon)

1. What are focus groups?

A focus group is a group of people who are invited to share their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and
ideas on a certain subject. Organising focus groups within an organisation can also be very
useful in getting buy-in to a project from within that company.

2. When and why to use focus groups?

Focus groups are most often used as an input to design questionnaire.

3. Some advantages of organising focus groups include quick, cheap and they are relatively
easy to assemble. They are good for getting rich data in the participants' own words and
developing deeper insights. People are able to build on one another's responses and come up
with ideas they might not have thought of in a 1-on-1 interview. Focus groups are also good for
obtaining data from children and/or people with low levels of literacy. In addition, focus groups
provide an opportunity to involve people in data analysis (e.g. "Out of the issues we have talked
about, which ones are most important to you?"). Participants can act as checks and balances on
one another - identifying factual errors or extreme views.

4. The Limitations of focus groups include the responses of each participant are not
independent. A few dominant focus group members can skew the session. Focus groups require
a skilled and experienced moderator. The data which results from a focus group requires skill
and experience to analyse.

5. How to plan and prepare for focus groups

Invite around 6 to 8 people to participate a session that lasts for about an hour. Then, prepare an
agenda including a list of the top-level issues to be tackled (if appropriate). Prepare an
introduction script explaining the purpose of the day and how the day will be run. This can
include issues of consent and fire regulations (if relevant). Be sure to always use a quiet room
with few distractions and arrange people in a circle (possibly around a table).

6. Running focus groups

If appropriate, ask the participants to introduce themselves and/or wear name tags. Most
importantly, all questions you ask should be open and neutral. It's also important for the
moderator to be aware of participants' energy and concentration levels and provide short breaks
if necessary. The moderator should encourage free-flowing discussion around the relevant
issue(s).

7. Other tips for running focus groups include starting on an issue people have strong
feelings about and are familiar with. Phrase issues in terms that people will be familiar with. Let
participants know their contributions are valuable (both through what you say and also your body
language).
8. It's also important that the moderator realises that it may be necessary for them to step in
and keep the session on-track. Disagreements and debates are useful when they lead to new
and interesting ideas, but have to be managed carefully. Issues of power and privacy need to be
managed sensitively. Focus groups should end with the moderator winding-up the session by
stressing all that has achieved and casting it in a positive light.

9. Managing risks

A number of potential problems could arise during focus groups, which will all need addressing.
If one participant tries to dominate the session, the moderator should invite each person to
speak in turn. Avoid interviewing friends in the same group as they can form cliques - if cliques
do form, suggest taking a break and changing seating positions upon returning from the break.
Avoid personal confrontation - allow the group to police itself (e.g. "do others in the group
agree?"). Respect someone's right to be quiet, but do give them a chance to share their ideas 1-
to-1 (e.g. during a break). Use differences of opinion as a topic of discussion - the moderator
should avoid taking sides.

10. Useful tips to encourage discussion

To facilitate useful, free-flowing discussion during the focus group, follow some of these tips.
Ask participants to think about an issue for a few minutes and write down their responses. Ask
each participant to read, and elaborate on, one of their responses. Note the responses on a
flipchart/whiteboard. Once everyone has given a response, participants will be asked for a
second or third response, until all of their answers have been noted. These responses can then
be discussed.

Exercise 1 - Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the role of the moderator in a focus group?

a. To stimulate discussion and keep the conversation on track.
b. To ask leading questions and dominate the discussion.
c. To sit away from the group and observe their behaviour.
d. To evaluate the group’s performance on a particular task.

2. What should the moderator say in their introductory remarks?

a. Thank you to the participants for coming.
b. Who they are and what the research is about.
c. How the focus group will proceed.
d. All of the above.

3. Which of the following is not a constraint of the focus group method?

a. The moderator has little control over how the discussion proceeds.
b. It reveals the way social meanings are jointly constructed.
c. It produces a large volume of data that can be difficult to analyse.
d. People in groups tend to agree and express socially desirable views.
Exercise 2 - Find words or phrases in the paragraphs that have similar meanings to the
words or phrases given below.

Example : comparatively - _______________relatively__________ (paragraph 3)

1. lucky chance - ________________________________ (paragraph 3)

2. distort - ________________________________ (paragraph 4)

3. deal with - ________________________________ (paragraph 5)

4. noncommittal - _________________________________(paragraph 6)

5. groups - _________________________________(paragraph 9)

Exercise 3 - Answer the questions based on the text above.

1. What kind of surrounding is best to conduct a focus group discussion?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. What is the ideal size of a focus group for a one-hour discussion?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

3. What must the moderator be aware of during a group discussion?

a) _____________________________________________________________________

b) _____________________________________________________________________

c) _____________________________________________________________________

4. Why is getting participants to write down their responses encouraged?

______________________________________________________________________
Exercise 4 - Fill in the blanks with appropriate words provided in the box.

acknowledge reinforcers formulate ambiguous

techniques positive neutral creativity

1. Although there is no need to require an external facilitator to run focus groups, it may help
in cases when employees will not perceive the internal facilitator as being _____________.

2. Probes can be very useful in assisting with the flow of the discussion and for encouraging
participants who give brief or ______________ contributions to say more.

3. Research conducted by the British Open University, one of the world’s largest distance
education institutions, indicates that early _____________ experiences with discussion
groups leads to improved student performance in subsequent discussion activities.

4. When individuals work together with others in a group to make decisions, the quality of the
decisions is generally better because collective groups bring more knowledge, a broader
array of experiences and increased _____________ to the decision making process.

5. When a participant is very emotional about a topic, the leader is able to ___________ the
feelings and make sure the central point is not lost.

6. Some people in the group need time to organize their thoughts, others to ___________ a
logical sequence for their comments, and also others to think whether to make a comment
that might be risky.

7. As a group, try to use the active listening _____________ to encourage participation in

group discussions.

8. Non-verbal communication like smiling and nodding are very positive ______________.

Exercise 5 - Group discussion task

Form discussion groups to discuss the topics below:

1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Recruitment agencies.

2. Technology is killing human imagination. Discuss

3. How can a Business get rid of the Bad Name that it has earned?

4. Women are better at Multi-Tasking. Discuss

Text 2 - LOCAL SONS IN THE LIMELIGHT by Chow How Ban

1. Yao Ming and Liu Xiang are two of the most beloved sons of Shanghai. Many people
love the two biggest sporting heroes in China – Yao the NBA sensation, and Liu, an
Olympics 110m hurdles winner. “In my school, the boys who love basketball admire Yao
Ming. We are also proud of Liu Xiang as he is an outstanding hurdler and broke the world
record,” said secondary school student Zhu Xioyan. Another student, Wang Yiya, said,
“They are very famous people in Shanghai. They are the role models of the younger
generation.”

2. Kevin Wong, a student from Hong Kong doing his internship at a hospital in Shanghai,
said Yao was playing very well for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, and he just got
married recently. There is a price to pay for fame. Yao and Liu are hounded by the press,
who wants to know everything about them – from their training and competitions to
details of their private life. When Liu headed to Europe for a series of important races last
month, the Chinese TV stations and press accompanied him and his coach to the airport.

3. It is no exception for big Yao who is in his sixth season with the Houston Rockets and is
adored by his American fans as well. In order to give local readers and viewers the best
coverage of Yao, a large group of Chinese journalists and TV crew has been stationed in
the United States chasing down news about him. When he returned to China during the
off-season recently, everybody was interested to know more about his recent injury and
his plans to rejoin the Chinese national basketball team preparing for the Beijing Olympic
Games 2008.

4. Of course, Yao’s wedding with his childhood sweetheart Ye Li was the most important
news of the year in China. Every local newspaper gave top coverage to the couple’s
wedding dinner at the Pudong Shangrila Hotel in Shanghai on August 6. This was
despite the press, who camped at the hotel hours before the dinner, being barred from
covering the function. For the so-called low-key and simple ceremony, only the couple’s
closest friends and family were invited.

5. Nevertheless, the press tried every possible way, through eye witness accounts or other
sources, to give readers the most juicy and sensational news. From the total cost of the
dinner and anecdotes of the presidential suite where the newly-weds spent their night
after the dinner, to a comprehensive run-up to the wedding, the media didn’t miss a
thing.“ It was a low-profile Chinese-style dinner, a 12-course menu comprising a mix of
Shanghainese and Cantonese food. There were nine tables with about 70 guests, and
each table cost about 15,000 yuan (RM6875),” a source told me.

6. Now that they are public figures, Yao and Liu are learning how to cope with media
attention. During an interview with KRTV Yao said he would not share with anybody his
relationship with his bride. Whether a wedding is considered a personal thing or not, it is
hard for a public figure like Yao or Liu with their worldwide reputation to avoid the press.
Having a private life or having break with their family is almost impossible. Yao’s and
Liu’s family have also been dragged into the limelight. I remember seeing a TV interview
in which Liu’s mother spoke about her good son and wished him ‘happy birthday’. Yao’s
father also had the paparazzi on his trail the morning before the wedding dinner. The
local newspaper followed him out of his house in Shanghai to a bank.
 7. A commentator in an eastday.com programme that featured Yao’s wedding opined that
Yao should have adopted an open policy and allowed the press to cover his wedding.
“He is a public figure. However hard he tries to prevent the press from entering the hall,
they would still find ways to report on it,” he said. However, his colleague in the same
programme said that if the dinner were open to the media, things would be worse. Even
the most frivolous detail, like a guest’s dress being sullied by a sauce mark, would be
reported. “Anyway, the couple should have the right to choose what is best for them; and
they chose to keep their wedding simple and private,” she added.

8. Yao’s wedding plans was the subject of hot discussions on the Internet, too. Shanghai
Daily reported that according to a vote organized by Yahoo.com.cn, about 80% of the
more than 900 participants agreed that the NBA star should have a low-key wedding
rather than a luxurious one, as it was “more in accord with his personality.” It’s certainly
hard to live with fame given the overwhelming attention that they get. Yao and Liu, both
only in their mid-20s, still have a long way to go.

(Source: THE STAR, August 2007)

VOCABULARY

(a) Find words or phrases in the paragraphs indicated (in the brackets) that have similar
meanings to the words or phrases given below.

Example : renowned (paragraph 1) ________famous________________

1. practical experience (paragraph 2) __________________________________

2. followed and asked questions (paragraph 2) __________________________________

3. admired (paragraph 3) __________________________________

4. time of the year when there is not much activity __________________________________

(paragraph 3)

5. high priority and attention (paragraph 4) __________________________________

6. connection or involvement (paragraph 6) __________________________________

7. a position of public attention or notice __________________________________

(paragraph 6)

8. not worthy of serious notice (paragraph 7) __________________________________

9. removed from public view (paragraph 7) __________________________________

10. of reduced intensity (paragraph 8) __________________________________

(b) Answer the following questions.

1. How did Yao Ming and Liu Xiang become famous?

______________________________________________________________________

2. Yao wanted a private wedding. Despite being barred from the wedding function, how
did the press have access to news about the wedding?

______________________________________________________________________

3. How were Yao’s and Liu’s family affected by their sons’ rise in fame?

______________________________________________________________________

4. What was the argument that was put forward to justify the media coverage of Yao’s
wedding? What was the counter argument?

______________________________________________________________________

5. From the text, what can be inferred about Yao’s personality?

______________________________________________________________________

DISCUSSION - In groups of four, discuss the following questions:

a. Yao Ming and Liu Xiang are regarded as role models for the younger generation. Do you think
sporting heroes can be good role models?

b. Who is the person that you admire most? Why do you admire this personality?

c. There is a price to pay for fame. Discuss.

d. It is said that the media occasionally thrives on sensational news. In view of the kinds of news
that are commonly reported in the media, comment on this statement. Read up on some
sensational news and share the stories with the class.
 Grammar : THE PASSIVE

Active Voice

Sentences in the active voice focus on the person or thing that performs an action.

For example:

Subject Verb Object

(a) The press hounded Yao everywhere he went

Passive Voice

 Passive sentences focus on the person or thing that receives or is the result of an action.

 Also note that the object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
“Yao” in (a) becomes the subject of the passive verb in (b). Sentences (a) and (b) have
the same meaning.

 To form the passive voice, use the correct form of be + past participle. At times, the
person or thing (the agent) responsible for doing the action is used. In this case, use by
+ the name of the agent.

Subject Be Past Participle By + Agent

(b) Yao was hounded by the press everywhere he went.

Other examples:

Active Passive

The press hounds Yao relentlessly. Yao is hounded relentlessly by the press.

The press has hounded Yao since Yao has been hounded by the press
the beginning of the year. since the beginning of the year.

Exercise 6

Complete the following sentences. Use the active or passive voice in the past tense.

1. It is a well-known fact that sporting heroes ___________ much ____________ (love) and greatly
______________ (admire) by the public. Yao is no exception. Both Chinese and American fans
___________ (adore) him as a remarkable basketball player.

2. Yao and his coach ________________________ (accompany) to the airport by the Chinese TV
stations and press.
3. To get the best coverage of Yao, a large group of Chinese journalist and TV crew ____________
(station) in the USA.

4. Every local newspaper _____________ (give) top coverage to Yao’s wedding with his childhood
sweetheart.

5. Yao’s family ________________ (bar) the press from covering the wedding function.

6. Due to Yao’s rising fame, his family was also___________________ (drag) into the limelight.

7. The paparazzi ________________ (trail) Yao’s father all the way to the bank the day before the
wedding.

8. The press which managed to get news about the wedding ________________ (report) even the
most frivolous detail at the dinner.

9. Needless to say, much unwanted attention _______________ (give) to the newly-wed couple.