1. Interviewer Training Field Craft
National Visitor Use Monitoring
Interviewer Training
The title of this presentation is Interviewer Training Field Craft because interviewing well really is a craft. Think about a personally administered survey you’ve taken in the past. Was the surveyor excited about the information they were requesting or was it obvious they were just doing a job and didn’t really care about the material?
Think about how you felt about the interview. Would you be more patient with your responses talking with an interviewer that was lively and personable as opposed to an interviewer that is closed and grumpy?
Forest Service

2. Training Objectives
Be able to implement basic field survey procedures correctly – know when, who and how to interview
Get familiar with and be able to effectively use the interviewing tools and equipment (signs, counters, calendars, forms)
Know where to look for additional information and assistance (handbook and contacts)
The objectives for this presentation are for field surveyors
to be able to know when, who, and how to interview,
to become familiar with the interviewing tools and equipment
And to know where to look for additional information and assistance.

3. Training Objectives 2 YOU
as interviewers, play THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE
in making the program a success!
The Most Important part of this program is YOU! Please take your role seriously, as you are representing the Forest Service when you conduct interviews. Your professionalism and integrity are important –
Additionally, our NVUM numbers are more and more considered in our Regional budget allocations.
I know it is trying when it is snowing outside or over 100 degrees in the shade. So do your homework when you are preparing for field surveys so you have everything you need to conduct them safely.

4. Resources NVUM Guidebook
Guide for Planning and Implementing the National Visitor Use Monitoring Program
July 2017
NVUM Guidebook
Here is the a screen capture of the Guide for Planning and Implementing the National Visitor Use Monitoring Program. This is one of the best resources in the NVUM process. Most of the questions you have are included in the handbook – and as a bonus it is sprinkled with what I sounds like Don English humor.
National Visitor Use Monitoring Program
USDA Forest Service
Washington D.C.
Web address:

5. Resources 2
SharePoint Site

6. Resources 3 Counter Training Video Interviewer Training Video
1023 2F02 National Visitor Use Monitoring Trail And Road Counter Setup Hoffman, Damien J.; McLean, Andrew D Recreation 2010
Counter Training Video
Interviewer Training Video
On your screen are a few additional helpful resources. As this Training is intended to be a Train-the-Trainer course, I highly recommend the Interviewer and Counter Training Videos. The Counter Training Video link brings up the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) and contains videos links for the Infra-red and pneumatic road counter installation.

7. Resources 4
Safety…
Other Videos
JHA

8. Survey equipment includes:
Survey forms
Counters
Traffic routing signs
Traffic cones
Support materials
Interviewer kit
No that you’ve read the National Visitor Use Monitoring Handbook cover-to-cover and you have watched the training videos on the previous slides, now it is time to gather your survey equipment.
Standard survey equipment includes your survey forms, traffic and trail counters, traffic routing signs, traffic cones, support materials (like the chairs and sun shades), and the interviewer kit. There are great check lists for this in the Equipment Checklist appendix in the Handbook.

9. Survey forms: Daily Summary Form (DSF) Individual Interview Form (IIF)
Basic (red, 3 pages )
Economics (blue, 4 pages - Basic questions + additional questions)
Satisfaction (gold, 4 pages – Basic questions + additional questions)
View Corridor Observation Form
View Corridor Interview Form
Part of your survey equipment includes your survey forms. These are the forms that David went over yesterday.
The four forms that you should always have available are the:
the Daily Summary Form that summarizes your activity for the day,
The basic red survey form,
The blue survey form that asks the basic questions plus a the economics questions,
And the gold survey form that asks the basic questions plus a additional questions about their satisfaction. I love giving this survey, especially when folks say they are extremely satisfied with their visit. Don’t get me wrong, the “very dissatisfied visitor responses are important too.
Other forms include the View Corridor Observation Form and the View Corridor Interview Form. You should only use the View Corridor forms for dates and sites in the fieldwork schedule that call for a View Corridor as the Site Type.

10. Counters:
MTDC (Missoula Technology & Development Center) manages the NVUM counters
Improve accountability for counters sent to forests
Agree with the inventory received
Financially responsible for counters not returned
Excludes vandalized or stolen counters
Counters are valued at ~$300 each
Average of 20 counters not returned each year
Damien Hoffman with MTDC went over much of this information, but let’s review the highlights just in case you missed it.
The Missoula Technology & Development Center manages all of our pneumatic and infrared counters. MTDC includes the training DVD in the initial shipment of counters. Please make sure that all interviewers watch the video. If you didn’t receive the traffic counters from the MTDC – for example you borrowed them from a neighboring forests – then have field interviewers watch the on-line video found at the link shown earlier. Remember, that you can download this presentation as a resource.
Counters are valued at over $300 each. So it is important that we keep track of the counters. Each forest is financially responsible for counters that are not returned.

11. Survey Equipment (cont.):
Signs and sign stands – each Region does this differently – check with your Regional Coordinator
Traffic Cones – will need to be purchased/borrowed. Each forest is responsible for obtaining
Support Materials – forest responsible for obtaining
Card tables/chairs
Ice Chests
Shade/Shelter structures
Interviewer kit
Hopefully your forest NVUM coordinator has gathered all of the survey equipment that you’ll need.
If not, you’ll need to gather the standard signs and sign stands (most regions have a store of these).
You’ll also need traffic cones. The number of traffic cones that you’ll need depends on your survey set up. Think ahead and consider how many you will need – before you need them. 2-4 should be sufficient.
Don’t neglect your support materials. If you are lucky, some forests supply tables, coolers, and shades. If not, think ahead about what type of support materials you will need for your survey days. Think of the site and the season. Is the site in the middle of the desert in June or Alaska in November.
A few weeks ago I conducted field interviews on the Tonto NF in Arizona. It was 100 degrees in the shade and I was so thankful for our pop-up shade. And when the wind started blowing, we dug around in our cars for heavy items to tie to the legs of the pop-up.

12. Exercise What do you need in your interviewer kit? Extra food?!
Hand Tally Counter
Clip Boards
Pencils
Extra clothes
Poncho
Insect repellent
Sun screen

13. The Role of the Interviewer
Your role as an interviewer is to put the visitors interviewed at ease and get complete and accurate answers to the questions asked.
You will learn not to influence how people answer the questions.
Now let’s talk about the Role of you, the Interviewer.
Your role here is to be friendly and put visitors at ease so they’ll likely be patient with you while you ask the survey questions in an unbiased way.

14. An interviewer’s responsibilities include:
Following all quality control and assurance measures so that all information is complete and accurate.
Learning how to set up the survey location in the field
placement of signs
traffic counters
Making visitors comfortable with the interview process
You have three responsibilities as an interviewer.
Understand your survey forms, read through them and become familiar and comfortable with the questions and their order. It is important that we do not deviate from the way we ask questions. If we do this, it will skew our ability to compare responses between interviewees. Being comfortable with the survey questions, will help collect complete and accurate information.
Being comfortable setting up the survey equipment is also a interviewer responsibility. To know where the signs should go and where to place the traffic counters.
Third is to make visitors comfortable with the interview process.

15. An interviewer’s responsibilities include 2
Being tactful and keeping the interview on track
Presenting yourself well, with a professional appearance, attitude, and dress
Knowing why the information you collect is important, and letting the visitor know the information is confidential and valuable
Part of the interviewer craft was already covered in the Professionalism & Safety presentation.
I’m going to restate it here just in case you didn’t catch the information.
Being tactful and keeping the interview on track is important. This may require you to walk and talk with people as they walk to their vehicle. Or in other situations, folks may want to gab with you about the Travel Management Rule or other Forest-related topics. It is up to the interviewer to guide the conversation back to the survey questions.
Presenting yourself well in appearance, attitude, and dress will help you interact with visitors.
Knowing why the information you are collecting is also important. They will likely be more comfortable providing information when they know that their responses are confidential and valuable.

16. An interviewer’s responsibilities include 3
Remaining neutral – don’t show personal reactions when visitors answer the questions
If visitors have trouble answering the questions use the time proven techniques of PAUSE, REPEAT, and PROBE.
Take your time. Keep your personal reactions to yourself. And be patient if visitor’s need you to repeat the question. You may also need to restate the question and probe for more information if they don’t understand what you are asking.

17. What makes a good interviewer?
LIKES talking to visitors
Prepared and excited about project
Not afraid to ask questions about survey protocol
Able to hand-tally exiting traffic at the same time as they are talking to visitors
Not intimidated by technology – counters and signs
Safety Conscious
These are a few qualities that make a good interviewer. You can use these qualities for reference as you are selecting your field interviewers.
Does the interviewer like to talk with people. Is she or he a natural extravert that is comfortable approaching and talking with strangers?
Do they seem excited about the project and thinking ahead about the interviewers? Like are they anticipating weather or what they will need to be comfortable during field interviews?
Do they ask questions about survey protocol? Are they comfortable taking the time to ask the survey’s questions as they are written, or are they tempted to paraphrase?
Can they multi-task? Keeping track of hand-tally counts at the same time as asking questions takes practice!
Are they comfortable handling the equipment?
Perhaps most importantly, are they safety conscious? Do they use situational awareness when talking with people? Do they have experience interacting with the public?

18. The Interview Day
Ok, now we’ve talked through preparing for the interview day. Now the day has come and we are ready to interview.

19. A day in the life of an NVUM Interviewer…
On the survey day, collect needed equipment (check to make sure it’s all functioning properly)
Follow local check-out procedures
Travel to survey site
Set up signs and safety cones
Set up traffic counter, calibrate and record begin count
You should have already thought through the equipment you will need and you should have already collected it from neighboring districts, forests, or made purchases.
The morning of your survey, your equipment should be in one central location – checked and ready to go.
Before the interview start time begins, leave yourself plenty of time to travel to the site, set up your signs and safety cones, set up the traffic counter, calibrate the counter, and record the beginning count.
All this needs to be done before interview start time.

20. A day in the life of an NVUM Interviewer….
Conduct interviews and count exiting traffic for 6 hours
Record 6 hour traffic count and hand tally count on Daily Summary Form
Remove signs and cones
Return to office and follow local check-in procedures
Return to site after 24 hours to obtain 24-hour count
When the interview time begins you are ready to start your interviews.
Conduct interviews of exiting people and use your hand counter to count exiting vehicles for the 6 hour time frame.
When your 6 hours are done.
Record your traffic count and hand tally count on the DSF.
Remove your signs and cones and drive back to the SO or District office or wherever you originated your trip from (being sure to follow your check in-check out procedures).
Don’t forget to return to the site after 24 hours to record the traffic count on the DSF and take down the counter.

21. Safety First!!!
The information you’re responsible for collecting is not as important as your personal safety.
Set up where:
Sight distance is good
Stopping distance is good
Make sure the approach signs face traffic going both directions
Wear the orange vest & identifying clothing (uniform, hat, etc.)
Park your vehicle well off the road
Always have a radio, cell phone, or other form of communication

22. Who do you interview?
Anyone exiting the site or area and crossing the traffic counter. 
This not only includes recreation visitors, but also those working, commuting to work, stopping to use the bathroom, or just passing through. We need to include all of them to accurately calibrate the traffic counter.

23. Initiating Contact Don’t be shy, be outgoing, make eye contact
Be standing and ready to signal the visitor. Don’t rely on the signs.
Approach the visitor and greet them.
Have an official looking outfit/uniform
Perhaps set up a folding table with info for the visitor – ROGs, maps, Smokey stuff

24. Interview juggling act…
During the course of the survey, you will have to:
Click the hand-tally counter for every exit.
Conduct the interview and click the hand-tally counter for every exit.
Manage the flashcards while conducting the interview and clicking the hand-tally counter for every exit.
Keep hold of the clipboard and pencil while managing the flashcards and conducting the interview and clicking the hand-tally counter for every exit.
…and continue to be friendly

25. Conduct the Interview Use the script provided on the form.
Give the visitor time to respond appropriately.
Present flash cards as directed on the form.

26. Flash Cards
Help visitors answer questions by providing answer choices to some of the more lengthy or confidential questions.
Allow visitor to see all their choices
Allow them to take time to consider the answer
Retain privacy (when in a group of people) while answering sensitive questions…i.e. questions pertaining to income or race.
Hint: When you copy the flash cards, color code them to the interview form colors and place in document protectors that are clipped together

27. During the Interview Stay alert to the situation around you
Click hand tally counter for each vehicle or person that exits
Check for consistency in answers and in your recording

28. Getting Answers
If you are having problems getting an appropriate answer to an interview question:
PAUSE and allow the visitor time to answer appropriately.
REPEAT the question exactly as written.
PROBE for clarification if answer is still unclear

29. Interview Wrap-Up Once you have finished with the interview:
Thank the visitor for his/her assistance.
Answer any questions he/she may have. Offer to provide further information materials as available.
Allow the vehicle to return to the road on its own.
DO NOT attempt to assist the vehicle back into the flow of traffic. Let the driver use his or her own judgment.

30. Interviewing tips…
When you’re at a busy site and having trouble keeping up, just write answers in grey blocks – fill in bubbles later…
Have a regular calendar available to assist visitors in determining arrival and departure dates.
Have Forest/wilderness map(s) available to help visitors answer your questions AND help answer their questions.
Always right justify your answers on the forms