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Real World Research Skills
An Introduction to Factual, International, Judicial, Legislative, and Regulatory Research
§ 6.00 Offline Resources: People
§ 6.01 When to Use People as an Information Source
§ 6.02 Preparing to Make an Information-Gathering Phone Call
§ 6.03 Making the Call
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Not all information is online, and much of it is not recorded anywhere but
in the minds of experienced and knowledgeable people. Experts and insiders can be very helpful resources.
Your choice of phone or email may depend on how the source wishes to communicate. Email is convenient for people in other time zones, but
can be limiting when you need to have an interactive conversation. Your interviews may also involve in-person meetings.
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For information that has not been published online or in print.
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For opinions and insight into past, present, and future
developments.
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For evaluative judgments about the information you have.
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For referrals to additional or better information sources.
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For a better understanding of how information and events are
viewed by others.
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Make sure the answer is not readily available elsewhere.
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Do your homework. Try to get up to conversational level on a topic
if you are calling an expert.
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Get background information on the person or organization you
are calling to: a) confirm that this is an appropriate source and
b) understand your source’s role.
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Write down the questions you have or the information you need.
Think about the best order in which to bring them up. While your
conversation may not be a straight reading of questions, a list helps
to ensure that you don’t forget anything.
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Introduce yourself by name and affiliation.
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Explain, concisely, why you are calling and how the information
will be used ("I am writing a report for our membership and your
work in this area is particularly important to us."). Let them know
if you would like to quote them as a source, and get their permission
to use their name, job title, and organization name in your research
report.
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Listen to the response to be sure you have the proper person and
that this is a good time to call.
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Ask your question, and then listen. Questions may be narrow ("Is
this the correct title of the report?") or open-ended ("What do you
think could happen next?").
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Don’t worry when the conversation veers slightly off-topic. You may
hear about facts or issues you had overlooked. At the very least, you
will get a better understanding of what matters to your source.
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Don’t hesitate to say that you are not sure you understand an issue.
If necessary, restate what you think you understand and ask your
contact if you have got it right.
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Wrap it up: Did you get all of the information you needed? Does
the source have other sources to recommend? If necessary, can
you make a follow-up call? What is the best time to call? Verify
that you each have the other’s phone number.
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Thank your contact, even if he or she has not been able to
be helpful. If the source is important, you may wish to send a
thank-you email or that rare species, the paper thank-you letter.
Real World Research Skills
By Peggy Garvin
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Published 2006
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RealWorldResearchSkills.com
Last updated:
January 01, 2008
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