{"id":26674,"date":"2022-11-13T06:35:24","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T10:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=26674"},"modified":"2023-08-02T07:16:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T11:16:47","slug":"how-to-conduct-observational-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/how-to-conduct-observational-research\/","title":{"rendered":"How to conduct observational research"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Try WBHA, or writing by hanging around<\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ve heard about MBWA, or management by walking around? Try WBHA, or writing by hanging around \u2014 going to the scene to observe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26676\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26676\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26676\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/how-to-conduct-observational-research\/how-to-conduct-observational-research\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-conduct-observational-research\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just looking&lt;\/strong&gt; Firsthand observation brings your message to life. So go to the scene and observe. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/young-woman-with-curly-hair-looking-through-binoculars-gm825159892-133809499&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Wavebreakmedia&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" alt=\"How to conduct observational research\" title=\"How to conduct observational research\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26676 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research-300x200.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26676\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/how-to-conduct-observational-research\/how-to-conduct-observational-research\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-conduct-observational-research\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just looking&lt;\/strong&gt; Firsthand observation brings your message to life. So go to the scene and observe. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/young-woman-with-curly-hair-looking-through-binoculars-gm825159892-133809499&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Wavebreakmedia&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png\" alt=\"How to conduct observational research\" title=\"How to conduct observational research\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/how-to-conduct-observational-research-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26676\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Just looking<\/strong> Firsthand observation brings your message to life. So go to the scene and observe. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/young-woman-with-curly-hair-looking-through-binoculars-gm825159892-133809499\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Image by Wavebreakmedia<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Observational research is the most overlooked reporting tool there is. Which is a shame. Because firsthand observation gives your copy color and insight that you can\u2019t get any other way.<\/p>\n<h5>\u201cYou can observe a lot just by watching.\u201d<\/h5>\n<h6>\u2014\u00a0Yogi Berra<\/h6>\n<p>Observational research means that you, the writer, experience the event or product or procedure so you can recreate the experience for your readers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Covering a new roller coaster?<\/strong> Get on that sucker and ride it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Doing a piece on a new medical procedure?<\/strong> See if you can get into the operating room.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Writing about a new line of chocolates?<\/strong> You haven\u2019t really done your job until you\u2019ve sampled a box or two.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why observational research?<\/h3>\n<p>Through observational research, you show your readers what they don\u2019t ordinarily see, make them feel what they don\u2019t normally feel. Observational research:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Makes writing vivid<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Helps you recreate a scene<\/strong> you\u2019ve witnessed<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turns stick figures into portraits<\/strong> and adjectives into sensations<\/li>\n<li><strong>Overcomes distance<\/strong>, putting readers in the scene, making them feel as if they were there<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How to conduct observational research<\/h3>\n<p>No need to interview group members or analyze data. For the structured observation research technique, you make like Yogi Berra and \u201cobserve a lot just by watching.\u201d Here are four ways to conduct observational research:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Be there.<\/h3>\n<p>Hang up the phone, back away from the keyboard and go to the scene to observe. You can\u2019t observe if you never leave your desk. So try these types of observational research methods:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Spend a day (or an hour)<\/strong> with your subject matter expert as she goes about her regular business.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask for a demonstration<\/strong>. Get the subject matter expert to show you how she found the computer glitch or otherwise demonstrate parts of the story for you. When writer Cynthia Gorney interviewed Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) for the <em>Washington Post<\/em>, she asked him to draw one of his characters. As he sketched Yertle the Turtle, Geisel started talking about how he\u2019d developed the character. That got the conversation rolling.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take a tour with the subject matter expert<\/strong>. Let the plant manager show you \u201chow things work around here.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find an action setting<\/strong>. Put yourself and your subject matter expert in a situation that reveals something about the topic. When I profiled a customer-service guru, for example, I took him to a white-tablecloth restaurant where I could observe him observing the service.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Watch the subject in action, then talk<\/strong>. Be on hand while the surgeon performs surgery, for instance, then ask questions afterward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Wherever you go, get out of your office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlace can provoke new information, funny stories, and great dialogue,\u201d suggests Jeff Klinkenberg, author of <em>Pilgrim in the Land of Alligators<\/em> and other narrative nonfiction books about Florida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe way people talk, and what they talk about, is influenced by their surroundings. They may whisper in church, shout on the basketball court, talk nonsense after a couple of tall boys. Or they may chat about something remarkable they\u2019ve just seen, something important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you interview somebody at home, ask for a tour. Every picture, every book, every piece of furniture, can tell a story.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>2. Tune into your five senses.<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve left your desk for someplace more interesting, report with all your senses.<\/p>\n<p>Remember: You have five.<\/p>\n<p>Different senses affect readers differently. If you want to foster memory and emotion, for instance, focus on the sense of smell. The smell of Lipton\u2019s tea still transports me back to my grandmother\u2019s kitchen, circa 1972.<\/p>\n<p>You can use sound, on the other hand, to build tension. From the tick-tick of the heart-beat monitor to the \u201cJaws\u201d theme song, sound can create stress in your readers \u2014 stress you can \u201cbreak\u201d by showing how your organization, product or service can solve the problem.<\/p>\n<p>How can you tune in to all five senses? Try this exercise recommended by Perry Garfinkel in <em>Travel Writing: For Profit and Pleasure<\/em>. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">\u201cHere and now I hear what, see what, smell what, feel what, taste what?\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>That way, you\u2019ll capture, according to Kevin McGrath, assistant metro editor at <em>The Wichita Eagle<\/em>, \u201cnot just sights but sounds, smells, actions, reactions, interactions, bits of conversation, facial expressions, posture, clothing and the state it\u2019s in (crisply pressed, badly wrinkled, sweaty, dirty, raggedy, shirttails hanging out etc.), how things look in relation to their surroundings, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll see how your subject matter expert stands, sits and gestures and what she keeps on the bulletin board.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll notice the sounds the machines make in different parts of the company\u2019s plant, and how your subject\u2019s voice tone changes when he\u2019s feeling stressed out, passionate or joyful.<\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019ll use your senses of taste, touch and smell to recreate the scene for your readers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes a clock on the wall of a high-powered executive tick-tock relentlessly, like a metronome for his pressure-packed career?\u201d prompts David A. Fryxell, former editor of <em>Writer\u2019s Digest<\/em>. \u201cDo the floors of the manufacturing magnate\u2019s office tremble with the distant pulse of the factory floor? Does the home smell of freshly baked bread, the production plant of ozone, the farm of recently spread manure?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>3. Take more notes than you use.<\/h3>\n<p>This ain\u2019t data collection. This is qualitative research, not quantitative.<\/p>\n<p>Still, take lots of notes about your naturalistic observations. You can always toss out whatever doesn\u2019t make it into your piece. Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative nonfiction journalist John McPhee, for instance, might take 10,000 pages of notes for a single book.<\/p>\n<p>And don\u2019t just write down what your subject says, Fryxell suggests. Note his looks and mannerisms too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo his eyebrows twitch like frenzied caterpillars when he talks?\u201d he prompts. \u201cWhat\u2019s he wearing? Anything sticking out of his shirt pocket?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>4. Look for the telling detail.<\/h3>\n<p>Forget representative samples, research questions, observing participants and the Hawthorne Effect.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, seek out \u201cthe Yankees cap, the neon sign in the club window, the striped towel on the deserted beach,\u201d suggests Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen. \u201cThose things that, taken incrementally, make a convincing picture of real life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all you\u2019ll need for observational research studies.<\/p>\n<h3>Tips for these research tools<\/h3>\n<p>These observational research methods can be time consuming. Observing the CEO in her natural setting is not for every story.<\/p>\n<p>Deadlines and budgets force most communicators to do much of their research via phone. So ask: what story on the agenda this quarter would most benefit from observational study?<\/p>\n<p>Start campaigning today for the resources to go to the scene to cover that event, issue or person.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Sources: Ted Anthony, \u201cCommunicating Place,\u201d Hallmark Cards Creative Conference, 1997<\/p>\n<p>David A. Fryxell, \u201cThe Observation Occupation,\u201d <em>Writer\u2019s Digest<\/em>, October 1997<\/p>\n<p>Perry Garfinkel, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0452264502?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwyliecomco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0452264502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Travel Writing: For Profit and Pleasure<\/em><\/a>, The Penguin Group, New York, 1988<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Klinkenberg, \u201cWriting About Place: The Boundaries of a Story,\u201d <em>St. Petersburg Times<\/em>, January 1995<\/p>\n<p>Donald M. Murray, <em>Writing to Deadline:<\/em> <em>The Journalist at Work<\/em>, Heinemann, 2000<\/p>\n<p>Anna Quindlen, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/query.nytimes.com\/gst\/fullpage.html?res=9404E0DD1739F930A1575AC0A9649C8B63\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Writers on Writing: The Eye of the Reporter, The Heart of the Novelist<\/a>,\u201d <em>The New York Times<\/em>, Sept. 23, 2002<\/p>\n<div id='MC-BEF-OVW' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-41\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/writing-process-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/writing-process-training.png\" alt=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" title=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/writing-process-training.png\" alt=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" title=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>Work with \u2014 not against \u2014 your brain<\/h3>\r\n<p>While we talk a lot about what to write \u2014 More stories! 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Learn a few simple steps that will make your writing time more effective and efficient at <a title=\"Write Better, Easier and Faster - Ann Wylie's writing-process workshops\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/writing-process-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Write Better, Easier &amp; Faster<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 our writing-process workshops.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n<p>You\u2019ll learn to invest your time where it\u2019ll do you the most good \u2026 stop committing creative incest \u2026 even save time by editing <em>before<\/em> writing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/writing-process-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/writing-process-workshop\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Try WBHA, or writing by hanging around<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[12990,509,190],"class_list":{"0":"post-26674","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-writing-process-improvement","8":"tag-observational-research","9":"tag-prewriting","10":"tag-research","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to conduct observational research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just looking: Firsthand observation brings your message to life. 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