Part III Investigative interviewing | Section I Who to interview and how to interview them 8. GROUP INTERVIEWS/FOCUS GROUPS There may be occasions where it is appropriate to gather information from potential witnesses by holding focus groups or otherwise interviewing a number of individuals simultaneously. This approach was used by the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia in another of its investigations, conducted in 2011, into alleged violations of human rights by mining companies.34 It was also used by the Australian Human Rights Commission in it investigation into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force, which is discussed further in Chapter 27. There are a number of advantages to conducting group interviews, such as convenience and the effective use of time and resources. But there may also be disadvantages. If there are conflicting opinions within the group then any imbalance of power among group members may inhibit an honest and candid exchange of information. For example, if an investigation is focusing on the culture or operations of a particular workplace then it may be effective to interview a group of staff members separately from the management team. Photo by the APF/Michael Power. 34 The case study is provided in Appendix 3 of this Manual. Chapter 7: Types of interview | 53