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| Volume 51, Number 4, Fall, 2002 |
Research and EvaluationGood communications programs are evaluated both before and after they are designed and implemented and are revised or fine-tuned in response to audience feedback. This formative and evaluative research is one of the most crucial, and most often overlooked aspects of communications. Commercial communicators research their audiences extensively, and now that more and more communication by non-profit institutions is being aimed directly to audiences, public affairs specialists need to research their intended audiences as well. Methods include: conducting focus groups, surveying audience members, counting the number of people who show up to an event, compiling Web statistics, monitoring usage, giving quizzes, holding public hearings, or collecting anecdotal information in a systematic way. Some of the pitfalls include not clearly stating the goals to be measured; measuring something other than the stated goals; not researching the right audience; not targeting a campaign specifically enough; or relying too heavily on sporadic anecdotes as evidence of success or failure.
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