5  Verbal Communication

5.1 Active Listening

  • Active listening is a key communication skill.

  • Active listening is about understanding the speaker’s message and responding to them.

  • Active listening includes verbal and non-verbal cues.

5.2 Active Listening: Key Components

In what ways can you show that you are listening actively?

5.3 Benefits of Active Listening for a Smooth Consultancy Session

How active listening benefits statistical consultancy?

5.4 Asking Questions

  1. Plan what information do we need?

  2. Listen carefully

  3. Slow down

  4. Clarify all terms

  5. Ask if you do not understand

  6. Take notes

5.5 Common questions

  1. Research area/ domain

  2. Goals and objectives

  3. Motivation

  4. Significance of the study

  5. Novelty of the study topic

  6. Related work (literature, relevant methods, etc)

  7. Data collection procedure

  8. Sample size

  9. Structure of data

  10. Missing values, outliers

  11. Limitations of data

  12. Survey/ Census: Target population, variables, sampling design, sampling frame, sources of bias, sampling unit

  13. Design of experiments: experimental unit, sampling unit, factors, treatments, responses, randomization, blocking, design

  14. Background reading

5.6 Client Question Checklist

Create a Checklist for Reviewing Client Information Before Starting Analysis?

5.7 Question types

5.7.1 Close probe questions (usually with Yes or No)

  • Did you interview every person on the list?

  • Are there any missing values?

5.7.2 Open probes (long responses)

  • What factors are likely to affect the response?

  • I’d like to hear more about the independent variables you plan to measure.

  • Is there anything more that we should discuss related to food packaging types before we go on to discuss the variables you plan to measure?

5.7.3 Specific questions

  • What is the sample size?

  • When did you collect this data?

  • Which methodology did you use for this analysis?

5.8 Cognitive Load Theory: Forms of Cognitive Load

  1. Intrinsic cognitive load

  2. Extraneous cognitive load

  3. Germane cognitive load

5.9 Ask if you don’t understand

Restate factual information and make sure you have gotten everything correct.

  • Let me make sure that I understand …

  • Do I have this correctly?

  • So a sampling unit is an individual person, is that correct?