1. Technical Communication
DATA COLLECTION
Technical Communication

2. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION
YOUR OWN DATA FROM OWN INVESTIGATION
PRIMARY SOURCES
FROM PUBLICATIONS, RECENT REPORTS
NEWSLETTERS ETC
SCONDARY SOURCES

3. How to collect primary Data
Document-secondary sources
Observation
Surveys
Experiments

4. Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions
Questions to be avoided:
Double-barreled questions
DBQ: Do you agree that campus parking is a problem and that the administration should be working diligently on a solution
RQ:: Is campus parking is a problem
Assumptions Questions
BQ: There are many people who believe that campus parking is a problem. Are you one of them?
RQ: Do you agree or diisagree that campus parking is a problem?
BIASED QUESTIONS
BQ: Don’t you agree that campus parkingis a problem?
RQ: Is parking on campus a problem?

5. CONT… Confusing or wordy question
CQ: What do you think about the parking?
RQ: What is your opinion of the parking situation on campus?
Confusing or wordy question
UQ: have you ever encountered problems in the parking garage on campus? Do you dislike the bus system?
Questions that not relate to what you want to learn?

6. TYPES OF SURVEY QUESTIONS
OPEN ENDED QUESTION
How would you describe the condition of the vans provided by UTHM?
EITHER OR
Do you think the van drivers obey the Safety Regulation while driving on the road? YES/NO
MULTIPLE CHOICE
What is the best way to educate the van drivers? (Choose only ONE)
a. UTHM should often give a reminder
b. Distribute flyers and brochures to the drivers

7. CONT…
Scale
Please mark an X on the scale to indicate how you feel regarding your safety while travelling
Key 1 Very safe Moderate Very unsafe
2 Safe Unsafe
Checklist
Which movie/s have you watched in the past 3 months (tick / all that apply)
i. Shrek 3 ( ) ii. The Incredibles ( )

8. CONT…
Ranking
Rank these movies according to your preferences: from 1 (most Preferred) to 5 ( Least Preferred)
1. Shrek ( )
2.The Incredibles ( )
3. Terminator ( )

9. GUIDELINES WHEN MAKING SURVEY QUESTIONS
Provide Clear instructions
Keep the questions short and easy to answer
Create questions that are easy to tabulate/analyse
Ask only one thing at one time
Pretest the questionnaire on a sample group

10. TRY THIS..
In pairs,
Your boss asked you to carry out a market survey on Brand X shampoo by using questionnaires.
Prepare at least 3 different questions using different types of survey questions.
Test the validity of the questions with other members.

11. Groupwork (3rd Assessment 10%)
Prepare a sample of questions for your research according to the topic that you have chosen.
It should consists of 15 questions of all types.
Prepare a suitable cover or layout of your questionnaire.