They Call Me Mr. Diversity

Our current project leads me to believe that I did not misspend my youth.  We interview people all over the United States, from many different backgrounds.  Many of our respondents speak English as a second language.  Most respondents have financial problems and life issues that go along with financial problems.  The 30-minute interview contains many more demographic questions than most market research surveys.  Many of these demographic questions are at the beginning of the survey, and the answers drive whether we ask other demographic questions at the end of the survey.  We usually have all of the demographic questions at the end of the survey, to give us a chance to build rapport with respondents.  Most respondents received a letter before we started calling.

Some things I did as a young person that seemed pretty knuckleheaded at the time prepared me for this challenge.  I was a globe spinner in elementary school.  In junior high and high school I often put aside my homework while in the library so that I could randomly page through the encyclopedia or magazines.  When I was old enough to ride the city bus on my own I would hop on random bus routes to explore Minneapolis and St. Paul.  I spent the summer of my 21^st year on a hitchhiking tour of the United States.  At different times I have avoided college, television and owning a car because I believed I could experience life better without them.  I intentionally sought work, live music, volunteer activities and recreation that would broaden my experience.  I struck up conversations with many interesting individuals while engaged in these activities.  This exposed me to many cultures and taught me to not feel sorry for myself. 

My diversity of experience taught me adaptability, which we need to get the job done.  On our present project the interviewer and the respondent sometimes have to work together to figure out the best person in the household to answer the questions.  Diverse experience as well as my present career gave me many pieces of information about human beings that I can put to use.  I am grateful that my parents encouraged me to study foreign languages while I was in school.  It now makes it easier to understand foreign accents and pronounce names correctly.

Recently, one of the interviewers I supervise had a difficult interview.  He and the respondent had difficulty understanding each other’s accents.  The interviewer became frustrated and wanted to terminate the interview.  He worked very hard to speak slowly and clearly.  I told him to repeat a question once and mark “Don’t Know” if the respondent still did not understand.  Afterward, I found a tactful way to tell him to listen to his own accent.  I invoked the name of a former coworker from China.  She sometimes did not understand things I said until I used a British pronunciation or spelled a word.

I told the interviewer to try to use a Mid-Atlantic accent.  I told him to imagine an island in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere between New York and London.  A person who grew up on this island would have an accent somewhere between an eastern American accent and a British accent.  Such an accent can be helpful when talking to people who speak English as a second language.  For many such people, the Queen’s English was their first exposure to the language.  The conversation was effective.  The interviewer responded to my coaching and had a much more productive shift on his next shift.  He had a better attitude about interviewing foreign respondents.  I learned about the Mid-Atlantic accent from recreational reading.  I have coached other interviewers on not being shocked when respondents tell about their financial problems or family problems.

Neutrality and being able to instantly establish a rapport with a respondent are useful skills for any telephone survey, but they are especially important for our present project.  A sense of adventure and love of people are also quite useful.  Being well-read and well-traveled is helpful for any interviewer.  I understand why my father said that every young person should go on an odyssey.  He used to say that if a person goes to college, the college should be far away from home.  The world is much bigger than we imagine.