It’s Thanksgiving!!

I love this time of year.  Our family embraced “American” Thanksgiving our first fall in Raleigh and we have never looked back!  As I started getting ready for the big event it struck me how much Thanksgiving dinner is like a focus group.  Just like any good focus group, getting it right involves careful preparation, well thought-out execution and an efficient wrap-up.  Let me elaborate.

Preparation

The key to a successful focus group is careful preparation.  Without time to plan and think about desired outcomes there is no guarantee of a good result.  Thanksgiving is just the same.

I am hosting nineteen this year:  eleven adults and eight children.  Since I am not planning to spend a week in the kitchen, I started planning right after Hallowe’en.  At the time it seemed early, but considering how time flies I am glad I did.

Despite having so much time, I still made mistakes.  I know from experience that a straw model, however imperfect, usually leads to better results than a blank canvas.  What did I do:  I sent out a blanket e-mail asking what everyone wanted to bring.  Result:  a flurry of e-mails, some duplication, minor intervention to sort out the meal.

Planning for this year’s Thanksgiving also forced me to be flexible.  I was originally planning for fifteen, which would have been easier to seat and serve.  I then found out a dear friend was not going to visit family.  Of course they have to join us.  Flexibility is essential when planning a focus group.  You may end up with more people, you may end up with less.  Your venue might change.  The trick is rolling with the unexpected and getting back on track as quickly as possible.

While we may be crowded together on Thursday, the benefit of our additional guests is that we will have an even better meal.  If all goes according to plan there will be enough food for everyone, but not so much that we are eating leftovers until Christmas.  I am also confident that the myriad of dietary restrictions encompassed among my guests will be taken care of, allowing everyone to relax and partake.

Execution

For me the execution of the project is the best part.  With careful planning, project execution comes naturally.  Executing a focus group involves more than attending a meeting, or in this eating a meal.  It involves methodically doing a myriad of tasks needed to make the event a success.

Just as during a focus group much of the dinner execution is behind the scenes.  Until you prepare both the room and materials, your focus group doesn’t stand a chance.  The same goes for Thanksgiving.  Executing Thanksgiving involves:  setting the table in a way that allows for seamless movement of two shifts of eaters, shopping and cooking.  Without doing these steps the meal itself won’t come together.

The actual meal, although the pinnacle of the project, takes up only a fraction of the execution time.  It is necessary to lay a firm foundation to ensure that it actually is the highlight, and not an underwhelming waste of time.

Wrap-Up

The project is over.  The participants talked about more than they dreamed possible in a short period of time.  It is time to pack up and go home…..maybe for the participants, but not for the facilitator.  Wrapping up a project is critical.  Can you imagine walking away from Thanksgiving and leaving the dishes for another day and the leftovers out to rot?  I thought not.

Wrapping-up is hard to do.  There is an inevitable let down once everyone leaves.  Yet, until everything is put away the focus group lingers on.  I find it difficult to move on to another project when loose ends are hanging over me.

So to wrap this up:  I’m off to the kitchen…..