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Based on the information you learned from the presentations, brainstorm a list of the 3 local major contributing factors to global climate change. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Optional - Conducting a Survey
1. DURING THE INTERVIEW
- Arrive or call on time.
- Introduce yourself and restate your interest.
- Listen and respond to the person you are interviewing; make the interview a two-way conversation.
- Keep the interview on topic. A little wandering can open up new avenues and provide interesting insights, but too much will not get you the information you are looking for.
- As you conclude the interview, remember to thank the person for their time.
2. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
- Write up your notes immediately. Identify what questions were answered and what questions you have left to answer.
- Identify what went well and what did not work well during the interview.
- Write a brief thank you to the person you interviewed.
- Send the person you interviewed a copy of how you used the information you gathered.
3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
- Conducting a good interview takes practice. Practice the above steps on your friends, family and neighbors.
USING A TAPE RECORDER
Pros
- complete record of the interview - both questions and answers
- ability to get exact quotations
- you can pay attention to the person you are interviewing without being distracted by note taking.
Cons
- possibility of mechanical malfunctions - losing the entire interview
- the person you are interviewing may be less candid in front of a tape recorder
- over-reliance on the tape recorder, leading to a failure of the interviewer to listen intently
If you choose to use a tape recorder:
- When you make the initial contact, ask for permission to record the interview.
- Prior to the interview, test the machine and tape you will be using.
- Carry extra batteries and tapes with you to the interview.
- During the interview position the machine between you and the person being interviewed.
- After the interview, listen to the entire interview and take notes and recording any important quotes. Note the counter # where important quotes are on the tape to you can find them again.
-Adapted from Education in Action: A Community Problem Solving Program for Schools, by Bull, et.al. 1988
Optional - Conducting a Survey: Telephone Techniques
BEFORE CALLING
Be informed
- Know why you are calling/what information you hope to gather.
- Know why you are calling this particular person or office.
- Be informed about the person you are calling: their level of knowledge, position, concerns, past statements, etc. on the issue.
Be ready
- Have paper and pencil ready to take notes; start with the date, time, name of person called, and phone number.
- Make notes about what you want to ask.
- Make notes about what you want to say.
Be prepared
- Prepare yourself to answer questions.
- Gather and organize any information you need to help you answer questions.
- Know how far you can go in making commitments and promises.
- For your first few calls, tape your end of the conversation for future self-critique.
STARTING THE CALL
- Identify yourself: first and last name.
- Identify your association. For example: 8th grade class, Summit County Middle School
- State your needs:
--I would like to speak with . --I would like to speak with someone about . --I would like some information about . Sample Script: "Hello, my name is Amy Action. I'm from the Summit Middle School's 8th grade, and we are doing a project on water quality in Lake Dillon. I'd like to speak with somebody about the concerns that realtors have over development restrictions in Summit County."
- Prepare for roadblocks; ask:
"Could you suggest a time I might call back?" "Could you suggest someone else who might be able to help me?"
DURING THE CALL
- Speak clearly. Keep gum, candy, food, pencils out of your mouth. Avoid saying "uhm" and "ahh".
- Be courteous and friendly. On first calls, assume the person answering knows nothing at all about your class, your project, or the issue.
- Be descriptive. Paint a picture for the listener.
- Present your information in a logical order. Keep the information on track.
- Be truthful. Say you don't know rather than invent an answer.
- Answer politely.
- Take notes.
- Don't tell people what they should or need to do.
ENDING THE CALL
- Repeat or rephrase any commitments either of you have made.
- Thank the person for their time.
- If you don't reach the person you need to speak with, ask to leave a message:
"Please tell _______ that I called about......" "Please leave a message that I called, and that I will call again." "When is a good time to call back?"
AFTER CALLING
- Go over your notes and expand them if necessary.
- Review and critique your tape recording.
- Identify and initiate your next steps.
- Honor any commitments you made.
- Call back if necessary.
PRACTICE CALLING
- Review and discuss effective telephone techniques.
- Select triads: phoner, phoned, observer. Select roles for the first round.
- Pass out Telephone Scenarios to each group.
- Take a minute for each person to prepare his/her own statements, questions, and potential responses.
- Start the scenario. Callers should sit back to back. Observer should write notes.
- Review and critique: strong points, weak points, misunderstandings, areas of confusion, ways to improve.
- Rotate through at least three rounds so that everyone gets a chance to be the phone caller.
- Discuss the most common strengths and weaknesses of the phoners.
- Do at least one public round in front of the whole class. This can be a humorous example emphasizing important telephone techniques.
- On future phone assignments, work in pairs to support and critique each other.
--Adapted from Bill Hammond, Lee County Schools
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