We're Almost Done

The other day we had a small party in our phone room to mark a project’s 100^th day of dialing. The same day marked another milestone on the project for me: it was the third time I had to ask a pregnant woman her weight. I know I shouldn’t stereotype people – especially when working on a scientific survey – but show me a pregnant woman who is not sensitive about her weight.

The project is a social research study in which we are required to ask respondents extremely detailed demographic information about each member of a respondent’s household, including height and weight. The weight questions are almost at the end of the questionnaire so that an interviewer has an opportunity to build rapport with a respondent. Still, the question comes up rather abruptly. Some respondents are taken aback. We don’t ask female respondents if they are pregnant, but they often volunteer the information early in the interview.

The first pregnant woman on the project to get the weight question gave me the idea to say “We’re almost done” right before the weight question comes up. She was a good sport about it, but she said “What!? Did you just ask me my weight?” when I suddenly asked her “Approximately how much do you currently weigh?” She then laughed and told me her weight. Not only that, but she weighed and measured her two toddlers.

Building rapport on a project in which an interviewer must ask for intimate details of a respondent’s life is often a matter of tone of voice. The interviewer must sound professional and positive, but also nonchalant and not too interested in the answers to the questions. Knowing when to say “We’re almost done” is a matter of timing. Saying this at the right time can mean the difference between completing an interview and not completing an interview. The statement not only helps a respondent to be patient and stay on the phone, but can also give an interviewer the last bit of rapport they need to get answers to sensitive questions. It can soften the abruptness of a question. The third pregnant woman I had to ask the weight question barely hesitated before answering.