Two heads may be better than one and three may be better than that. But if you think that three is a legitimate focus group research panel, it's not. It's three folks sitting around a table and talking about your case.
Is it wrong? No.
Can you rely on it for strategic decision-making? Probably not. At least not for any reliable, statistical and probative value.
What's got my knickers in a knot this time? I was asked to set up and moderate a focus group after the attorney had done her own research. The attorney found three people on Craig's List, brought them together for three hours and laid out the whole case before asking the trio a question: "What do you think about what you just heard?" And then she wondered why what she heard was misleading information contaminated by biases which did little to advance the case.
TIP: Focus groups vary in size, style and content depending on what the attorney needs to accomplish. Matt McCusker, blogging in Deliberations for the American Society of Trial Consultants (of which I am a board member and co-chair for this year's 31st Annual Conference in New Orleans), offers a viewpoint about focus group research, "Don't Call Me Fluffy: One Perspective On Mock Trials." It's worth visiting before you do it yourself.
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