1. Research and Evaluation
Chapter 7
Public Relations:
A Values-Driven Process
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2. Excuses
The “really important” parts of the public relations process are planning and communication.
We already know everything we need to know.
Lack of time, money, and/or know-how.

3. Critical Questions
What do we think we know?
What don’t we know?

4. Linking Research and Evaluation
Because public relations is a dynamic process, research and evaluation occur at every phase.
Research and evaluation are closely linked.

5. Uses of Research and Evaluation
To formulate strategy
To gauge success
To test messages
To size up the competition
To get publicity
To sway opinion

6. Key Questions What do I want to know?
How will I gather that information?

7. What do I want to know? Client research Stakeholder research
Problem-opportunity research
Evaluative research

8. How will I gather information?
Formal research—presents an accurate picture of reality.
Informal research—describes some aspect of reality, but does not necessarily reflect an accurate picture of the larger reality.

9. Common Research Methods
Secondary (library) research
Feedback research
Communication audits
Focus groups
Survey research

10. Secondary (Library) Research
Research generated by someone else, sometimes for purposes entirely different from your own
An alternative to primary research, which is research generated from scratch
Includes published materials, organizational/public records

11. Feedback Research
It enables an organization to receive tangible, often unsolicited, evidence of stakeholder response to its actions.
Sources of feedback include telephone calls, letters, clipping services, and the Internet.

12. Communication Audit
Used to determine whether an organization’s communications are consistent with its values-driven mission and goals.

13. Communication Audit Questions
What the are the organization’s goals?
How have they been communicated?
What is working well?
What is not working well?
What revisions should be made?

14. A Communications Grid X X X X X X X X X X X Public #1 Public #2
Channel #1 X X
Channel #2 X X X X
Channel #3 X
Channel #4

15. Focus Groups
An informal research method using interviews with selected individuals to determine knowledge, opinions, predispositions, and behavior.
Popular because of cost considerations and instant feedback.
Can be a prelude to survey research.

16. Steps in Focus Group Research
Develop questions based on needs
Select a skilled moderator
Recruit 8-12 participants
Record the session
Observe the session
Limit the discussion
Discuss opinions, problems, needs
Transcribe session
Prepare written report
Remember: It is informal research

17. Survey Research
The use of a questionnaire, administered to a carefully selected population, in an effort to make judgments about a much larger population.
Survey accuracy depends on having a good questionnaire and selecting a good sample.

18. The Survey Sample
A portion of a public selected to observe for the purpose of drawing conclusions about the public as a whole.
A sample is considered representative when it is large enough and every member of the targeted population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.

19. The Florida Follies
On election night 2000, news organizations inaccurately projected the winner of Florida’s electoral votes.
The sample on which the projection was based was not representative of the Florida electorate.
It wasn’t the first time a poor sample had led to wrong presidential predictions.

20. Creating a Sampling Strategy
Sampling frame
Units of analysis
Nonprobability sampling
convenience sampling
Probability sampling
simple random sampling, systematic sampling, cluster sampling, and census

21. Creating the Survey Instrument
Use appropriate language.
Questions must be understood.
Words should be clear, with specific meanings.
The shorter, the better.
Avoid word and question order bias.
No objectionable questions.
Pretest the questionnaire.
Address staffing, timing, cost, and training.

22. Five Ways To Ask Questions
Contingency
Dichotomous
Close-ended
Open-ended
Rating scale

23. Analyzing Survey Results
Attributes -- characteristics or qualities that describe an object or subject.
Variables -- a logical grouping of attributes.
Levels of analysis -- univariate , bivariate, and multivariate.