The communication approach involves questioning or surveying people and recording their responses for analysis. Communication is accomplished via personal interviews, telephone interviews, or self-administered surveys, with each method having its specific strengths and weaknesses. The optimal communication method is the one that is instrumental for answering your research question and dealing with the constraints imposed by time, budget, and human resources. The opportunity to combine several survey methodologies makes the use of the mixed mode desirable in many projects.
Successful communication requires that we seek information the participant can provide and that the participant understand his or her role and be motivated to play that role. Motivation, in particular, is a task for the interviewer. Good rapport with the participant should be established quickly, and then the technical process of collecting data should begin. The latter often calls for skillful probing to supplement the answers volunteered by the participant. Simplicity of directions and instrument appearance are additional factors to consider in encouraging response in self-administered communication studies.
Two factors can cause bias in interviewing. One is nonresponse. It is a concern with all surveys. Some studies show that the first contact often secures less than 20 percent of the designated participants. Various methods are useful for increasing this representation, the most effective being making callbacks until an adequate number of completed interviews have been secured. The second factor is response error, which occurs when the participant fails to give a correct or complete answer. The interviewer also can contribute to response error. The interviewer can provide the main solution for both of these two types of errors.
The self-administered questionnaire can be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, facsimile, a courier service, a computer, or an intercept. Computer-delivered self-administered questionnaires use organizational intranets, the Internet, or online services to reach their participants. Participants may be targeted or self-selecting. Intercept studies may use a traditional questionnaire or a computerized instrument in environments where interviewer assistance is minimal. Telephone interviewing remains popular because of the diffusion of telephone service in households and the low cost of this method compared with personal interviewing. Long-distance telephone interviewing has grown. There are also disadvantages to telephone interviewing. Many phone numbers are unlisted, and directory listings become obsolete quickly. There is also a limit on the length and depth of interviews conducted using the telephone. The major advantages of personal interviewing are the ability to explore topics in great depth, achieve a high degree of interviewer control, and provide maximum interviewer flexibility for meeting unique situations. However, this method is costly and time-consuming, and its flexibility can result in excessive interviewer bias.
Outsourcing survey services offers special advantages to managers. A professionally trained research staff, centralized- location interviewing, focus group facilities, and computer-assisted facilities are among them. Specialty firms offer software and computer-based assistance for telephone and personal interviewing as well as for mail and mixed modes. Panel suppliers produce data for longitudinal studies of all varieties.
