| A research tool which involves asking a group of respondents to sit together in a room and discuss the idea or product in question.
Typically, focus groups are run by a facilitator who has no investment in the opinions expressed or in the ultimate fate of the subject being discussed. The clients sit behind one-way mirrors or watch by closed-circuit TV as they listen to what everyone has to say. Sometimes they send written notes to the facilitator asking for clarification or to redirect the conversation.
Marketing companies recruit respondents for focus groups and often pay a small amount of money to those who qualify for a particular discussion. | 
