Techniques for research and evaluation

This page is the starting point for information on the methods that we at Audience Dialogue use in our work. These methods include survey research, qualitative research, monitoring and evaluation, participative marketing, and futures studies. Some of these pages (marked below with * ) are chapters from the book Know Your Audience by our founder, Dennis List.

Survey research techniques

Designing a sample*

Designing a questionnaire*

Fieldwork for surveys*

Analysing survey data*

Mail surveys*

Visitor surveys*

Single-issue surveys and polls

Processing survey data without a computer

Qualitative and participatory research techniques

Introduction to qualitative research

In-depth interviewing*

Consensus groups* and also an earlier article on consensus groups.

The co-discovery conference*

The ladder of participation: from tokenism to democracy.

Dotmocracy: how to vote with sticky dots.

Using content analysis to summarize words

Managing research and evaluation

Planning a research project*

It's one thing to carry out high-quality research, but to use the results well is a different art. Here are some thoughts on how to make research findings more usable.

Presenting research findings*

Using research data well*

For small organizations, which can't afford regular surveys, we've been developing a method for helping them to be more in touch with their audiences. It's not quite research, not quite marketing, not quite monitoring, not quite strategic planning, but something in between all of these. We're calling it response cultivation. Also covered in Know Your Audience, chapter 12.

Contents page for Know Your Audience.

Internet research

Research for websites and email*

Participative marketing for local radio (radio station marketing)

Are you interested in learning and doing radio station marketing, radio marketing or radio branding? Are you keen to know about community radio funding and community radio advertising, among other subjects?

Then Dennis List's unique 2003 book, in which he develops the concept of participative marketing for local radio - particularly community radio, would be very useful for you. This seems to (still) be the only book available in English on local radio marketing - as well as almost the only book on non-exploitative marketing, so relevant for other community media organisations and not-for-profit entities as well. Begin at the contents page This is a very handy book for community radio training.

A revised version of this book is planned to be available in electronic form by March 2012, with some examples and extensions. The current softcopy book can be purchased, click here for options.

Techniques for studying the future

A page (leading to others) on planning and anticipation

Examples of media research

Many people don't find it easy to follow theoretical pages such as these. If you prefer to understand techniques by reading examples of them, try our Cases section, which gives many examples of research and evaluation methods.