FGD facilitation script template

A reference sheet for moderators during sessions. Allocate time to steps according to purpose, burden and speaking opportunities.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

FGD facilitation script template

Method: Focus Group Discussion

A reference sheet for moderators during sessions. Allocate time to steps according to purpose, burden and speaking opportunities.

Session information

Complete for each session

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Study or evaluation title: Improving consultation registration
Group name, such as beneficiary group A: User group A (fictional)
Date, time and venue: July 10, 2026 / meeting room (fictional)
Moderator and assistant names: Facilitator A and recorder B (fictional)
Participant count: 6 people

Reason for this entry: Interview hierarchical staff separately.

Study or evaluation title

Group name, such as beneficiary group A

Date, time and venue

Moderator and assistant names

Participant count

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Complete for each session

Interview hierarchical staff separately.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

Read the full fictional example

Ground rules: read at the opening

Confirm rules communicated to everyone at the start

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

☑ Checked: Use statements only for this study; do not publish identifiable accounts
☑ Checked: Respect every opinion without criticism or rejection
☑ Checked: Value differences; agreement is not required
☑ Checked: Silence smartphones
☐ Not checked: Confirm consent to recording and notes

Reason for this entry: Publication explanations are prepared; actual recording consent will be confirmed before starting.

Use statements only for this study; do not publish identifiable accounts
Respect every opinion without criticism or rejection
Value differences; agreement is not required
Silence smartphones
Confirm consent to recording and notes

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Confirm rules communicated to everyone at the start

Publication explanations are prepared; actual recording consent will be confirmed before starting.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Read each item and check those you have confirmed. Do not use the fictional example’s checkbox states as findings about your own program.

Read the full fictional example

Discussion guide with timing

Enter estimated minutes for each question in parentheses

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Question number	Open question	Example probes	Estimated minutes
Q1	Reflect on your recent application	Where were you unsure?	15
Q2	What would you change about registration?	Does anyone else face difficulties?	20

Reason for this entry: Timing is a provisional allocation securing speaking opportunities.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Question number	Open question	Example probes	Estimated minutes

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Enter estimated minutes for each question in parentheses

Timing is a provisional allocation securing speaking opportunities.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Statement record form

Assistant records live; assign pseudonymous participant codes P1–P10

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Time	Speaker code	Main points	Group reactions and notes
10:15	P03	I could not book because my work schedule was undecided	P05 added that booking helped; views differed

Reason for this entry: Retain differences as well as agreement.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Time	Speaker code	Main points	Group reactions and notes

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Assistant records live; assign pseudonymous participant codes P1–P10

Retain differences as well as agreement.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Post-session reflection

Moderators record immediately after the session

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Online users spoke more. Separately interview paper-only applicants. Remove statements identifying individual applications from public summaries.

Reason for this entry: Seek perspectives absent from this group.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Moderators record immediately after the session

Seek perspectives absent from this group.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Use the example as a reference and record what you have established about your own program. Distinguish assumptions and unchecked matters from confirmed facts.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

FGD facilitation script template is a worksheet for applying Focus Group Discussion in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative planning durations, not common standards: preparation 1–2 weeks, sessions 90–120 minutes, analysis 2–3 weeks” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

Explore diverse opinions, shared understandings and disagreements within a group
Understand beneficiaries' or stakeholders' perceptions of the program
Use group atmosphere to elicit topics difficult in individual interviews

Participants and preparation

A moderator able to facilitate dialogue and a recorder. Set participant and group numbers according to depth, differing positions and accessibility.

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Session informationComplete for each session
2. Ground rules: read at the openingConfirm rules communicated to everyone at the start
3. Discussion guide with timingEnter estimated minutes for each question in parentheses
4. Statement record formAssistant records live; assign pseudonymous participant codes P1–P10
5. Post-session reflectionModerators record immediately after the session

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

FGD transcripts by group
Observation notes and field notes
Thematic analysis report including cross-group comparison

Cautions for review

Do not equate majority opinion with truth. Agreement processes themselves are data; record minority views.
Mixed supervisors/subordinates or professionals/affected people can inhibit dialogue. Examine composition beforehand.
Moderators may steer toward their hypotheses. Review guides and use neutral questions.

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

A fictional illustration: 6 users discuss booking and walk-in reception.

Session information

Study or evaluation title: Improving consultation registration
Group name, such as beneficiary group A: User group A (fictional)
Date, time and venue: July 10, 2026 / meeting room (fictional)
Moderator and assistant names: Facilitator A and recorder B (fictional)
Participant count: 6 people

Reason for this entry: Interview hierarchical staff separately.

Ground rules: read at the opening

☑ Checked: Use statements only for this study; do not publish identifiable accounts
☑ Checked: Respect every opinion without criticism or rejection
☑ Checked: Value differences; agreement is not required
☑ Checked: Silence smartphones
☐ Not checked: Confirm consent to recording and notes

Reason for this entry: Publication explanations are prepared; actual recording consent will be confirmed before starting.

Discussion guide with timing

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Question number	Open question	Example probes	Estimated minutes
Q1	Reflect on your recent application	Where were you unsure?	15
Q2	What would you change about registration?	Does anyone else face difficulties?	20

Reason for this entry: Timing is a provisional allocation securing speaking opportunities.

Statement record form

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Time	Speaker code	Main points	Group reactions and notes
10:15	P03	I could not book because my work schedule was undecided	P05 added that booking helped; views differed

Reason for this entry: Retain differences as well as agreement.

Post-session reflection

Online users spoke more. Separately interview paper-only applicants. Remove statements identifying individual applications from public summaries.

Reason for this entry: Seek perspectives absent from this group.

Common errors in judgment

Make the most vocal person's view the group's conclusion

How to revise: Provide turns and individual supplementary channels

Reason: Speaking power does not equal importance for all users.

Promise complete confidentiality between participants

How to revise: Share no-disclosure rules and explain guarantees' limits

Reason: Others' behavior outside sessions cannot be controlled.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-10-07Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

References and checked sections

Focus groups
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
Advice for using this method
How it relates to the text
Composition and facilitation affect statements, so record group reactions too.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)
Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Focus Groups, Evaluation Briefs No.13
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2018
Section consulted
p.2 How do you conduct a focus group?; Disadvantages
How it relates to the text
Distinguish observation notes from audio transcripts and plan analysis time. Starting transcripts within 24 hours is not a common requirement.
Source checked: 2026-10-07 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “FGD facilitation script template”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-10-07. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/focus-group/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Checked sources for definitions and conditions and added fictional examples, judgment rationales and completed entries for every field. Revised unsupported historical or uptake claims. Reviewed procedures and cautions, adjusting fixed counts, thresholds and institutional generalizations. Preserved field positions, types and counts while revising fixed conditions and thresholds.
2026-10-07 — Clarified analysis approaches, recording deadlines, participant-count scope and response-rate assumptions based on focused follow-up FW-U01–U05. Preserved existing fields and did not declare numerical guides inherently wrong.