In the case of standing in public and attempting to stop passers-by to complete a short questionnaire, what is your basic approach? In a previous life, I was a commission salesman, so I know how important it is to make the first utterance out of your mouth the right one if you want people to give you even two seconds of their time, so what tends to work best for collecting data for research? A yes-no question? An open-ended question? A statement about the weather? Asking if they have a couple minutes vs avoiding mentioning time? Here have been some of my attempts, but it's hard to gauge which works best with the few attempts I've made:
(For specifics on my current survey, it's a bunch of Likert scale questions aimed at getting opinions about bilingual signage in a small town. I'm standing in front of grocery stores to encounter people as there really aren't any other places with regular foot traffic.)
Participant are expected to free their minds to avoid getting bias data
When approaching passers-by in public to collect data for your research, it's important to be concise, engaging, and respectful of their time. Here are a few suggestions for making the initial approach:
Considering these suggestions, you can construct an approach that suits your specific research context. Here's an example:
"Hello! We're researching bilingual signage in our town and would love to hear your opinion. It'll only take a couple of minutes, and your insights will help us understand community preferences and improve communication. Your responses will remain confidential. Would you be willing to share your thoughts?"
Remember to adapt your approach based on the context and the individual's response. Some people may prefer a brief yes-no question as an initial engagement, while others may respond better to open-ended questions. Stay attentive to their cues and adjust your approach accordingly to create a positive and engaging interaction.
Hello It is better to make the respondent trust you and start with normal questions and then move on to specialized questions.
I think your first example fits best, as apologising to the consumer is best as this would show them that you understand that they are busy and that you would like their time. Then one can move towards asking questions that spark enthusiasm.
Hello First, we establish a sincere relationship with the respondent, then we start with ordinary questions, and then we deal with specialized questions. Also, there should not be any curiosity in the private affairs of the respondents. Good luck
Hello Joshua,
I think the following description might help you. Thank you very much for presenting this beautiful question with us.
1. First of all, introduce yourself and the topic of the research in a short time with a greeting.
2. His participation in this research is very important. His answer represents your community. Explain this very nicely to him.
3. Assure him that his name and identity will be kept secret.
4. If he feels any discomfort during the interview, or wants to skip any answer, he can feel free to say so. Confirm this to him.
5. Questionnaire containing a combination of open and closed ended questions are beneficial. But time constraint is an important factor, in which case it is better to use closed ended questions than open ended questions.
Best wishes.
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