Expert survey and other methods of collecting information

In modern literature, you can find several options for collecting primary information of a sociological nature. Among them, analysis of documents, various surveys. Often used and observation. For us, the survey method is interesting - it is the interviewer's interview with the respondent. And all the questions have already been drawn up in advance.

Usually, communication is conducted to identify the primary information that is necessary to solve the tasks assigned to the interviewer. Often questions are asked of several people. After all, the purpose of the survey is not at all the study of a particular individual. Also, to collect information, you can use a questionnaire - a method very similar to interviewing. Only everything happens in writing. There also exist pre-formulated and written questions. From the above, we can conclude that the survey - is the receipt of primary information from several respondents to solve the tasks.

How accurately and extensively people answer questions depends on both the respondent's knowledge and the interviewer who creates the whole environment for communication. In fact, these are the two most influential factors. Also important is the time and place of the meeting, the presence of unauthorized persons in the same room, which can significantly hamper the process.

There is an expert poll - this, in fact, is the same interview as described above. This method has a wider scale. Usually in its course the tasks of a rather complex nature are being solved. This requires not just interviewers, but serious experts who are able to capture immediately the necessary information. Respondents are also more senior people - directors of firms, reviewers, officials, etc. Usually, an expert survey requires the participation of about 20-30 people. Often this method helps to understand the problems of large companies, to find out the reasons for their occurrence. In principle, directors and owners of firms can themselves conduct such interviews, but if they are incompetent in this matter, it is better to entrust it to professionals. They have the opportunity to conduct research from the very roots, that is, from composing the questions themselves to processing all the collected information.

Often, an expert survey is compared with a large sociological study, and in fact it is. Interviewers spend quite a lot of work before obtaining a solution to one or other of the tasks set. The professionalism of the person who asks questions is very important here, he needs to create the most comfortable environment for the respondent, so that he can reveal himself in the greatest possible way and answer all the questions positively honestly and unequivocally. That's why this method is not widely distributed on the Internet. Sometimes they are held for money, but respondents should not think about it initially, they need to adjust themselves to the fact that his opinion is very important for solving a particular problem, that it is interesting and important for the interviewer to communicate with him. For the interview, only a competent person who knows one or another area to which the assigned task relates is selected. For example, experienced cultural workers, labor activists, event organizers can answer questions about leisure activities.

An expert survey can be conducted both internally and in absentia. The disadvantage of the first form of interview is that both people spend quite a lot of time. Also, a lot of resources are then spent processing all the collected data. In order not to waste valuable time, use a questionnaire in absentia, but it should be noted that the face-to-face meeting gives more complete information for the tasks assigned. After all, then the expert can get not only a verbal answer to the question, but also "read" non-verbal messages, which are also very important.