Lesson 12 1-5

Designing a Research Project: (Research Project Stages)...

1. Problem Definiiton 2. Research Methods 3. Data Collection 4. Data Analysis 5. Interpretation 6. Communication

D. Data Analysis:

Analyze data using quantitative methods, such as count frequency or statistics (mean and standard deviation) and qualitative methods (comparisons, existence of norms, and patterns). An example of a qualitative method is when you make comparisons between employees that buy coffee from your company cafeteria and employees that do not. Look for cause-and-effect relationships when you analyze data. An independent variable causes a dependent variable to take place. For example, your data analysis may reveal that new houses (independent variable) constructed in a geographical area affects demand for home security systems (dependent variable).

Create a Winning Presentation:

An effective presentation is one that meets the requirements of the audience. It grabs their attention, keeps their attention, and conveys the speaker's thoughts and ideas in order to persuade or inform. The three important factors you need to consider in creating your presentation are content, design, and delivery. Let's spend some time examining each of these factors.

Research and the Administrative Assistant:

As a key support person in your office, you provide a wide variety of assistance for making business decisions, including locating and compiling information for detailed reports and presentations. These kinds of projects give you the chance to demonstrate initiative and self-reliance—characteristics are very desirable, and can garner you recognition and even a promotion. So it's well worth your while to master these skills! But what do we mean by "research activities"? We're referring to a range of tasks, including gathering data to develop a proposal, examining possible solutions to a problem, presenting advantages and disadvantages for a situation, finding expert opinions, studying the financial condition of companies, comparing regional sales results, and periodically updating regularly reported information. To help you master this skill, we're going to look at several aspects of research. We'll start by examining the four dimensions of research, which can help you gain a firmer grasp of the kind of research you'll be doing. Then, we'll explore the actual activity of research, reviewing the tenets of the scientific method and giving you guidelines for how to design a research project.

Preparation Strategy:

As you begin to prepare your materials, you'll want to think about what your presentation needs to achieve and how you can focus your work to meet that goal. Know the objective of the presentation and be clear on the requirements. What does your boss hope to achieve? Is the goal to persuade the audience to do something or to present information to educate the audience? You should be aware of the desired end result. To make sure you're on the right track, you may want to ask your boss for an example or brief mock-up of what's intended. It can be as simple as a freehand sketch on a piece of paper, as long as it conveys your boss' mental picture of the finished product. You don't want to spend hours performing research and working on this project only to find out that your perceptions of your boss' expectations are wrong. In fact, we suggest that you take a sample of your work to your boss for approval before you complete the entire presentation. Better to be safe than sorry!

Now that you're prepared, let's learn some valuable tips for giving your presentation. During the Presentation:

Begin with a greeting and a few friendly words. A humorous anecdote or a graphic or video that is relevant to your topic is a great icebreaker. We don't recommend telling a joke. Let's leave that for the professional comedian! Give a brief overview at the start. Describe your objective. What is the message you want the audience to remember? Establish your credibility and any expertise you have on the subject you'll be presenting. As part of your introduction, let your audience know when you will be taking questions and comments. This prevents interruptions. We recommend that you ask your audience to hold all questions until the end of your presentation. Just make sure you leave enough time at the end of your presentation to answer these questions. Be positive. If you have confidence in yourself, the audience will, too. Look at audience members frequently. Eye contact is very important. Engage the audience by asking questions. If they don't respond, offer an answer and ask for a show of hands. This makes the audience part of the experience. Be accessible to the audience. Avoid standing behind a podium when possible. Use a wireless mouse so you can move around as you speak. Just remember not to turn your back to the audience and don't block their view. Do not read the presentation from your notes or from the slides. Here's a rule of thumb: Allow one minute per slide. If you spend longer than that on one slide, you risk losing their attention. If sound effects are used, wait until the sound has finished before you speak. Speak loudly and clearly. Don't rush your message. This gives the audience a chance to let an idea to sink in.

How would you translate data into a meaningful context?

By using data interpretation.

Computer Databases:

Collect a wide variety of information from computer databases, which are a form of electronic libraries . Subscribe to databases and perform research using centralized computers. Type a user identification and password and away you go. Topics range from financial to general research. Locate directories of computer databases from the Internet or from a research library. Access a database either from your home or business computer or at a library.

C. Data Collection:

Data collection is the meat of a research project. Although data collection is extremely important, it is meaningless unless you first define the problem and determine the appropriate research method. Collect legitimate data using sound techniques. It is essential that data you collect is representative of what you are observing. For example, assume that your boss asks you to determine the average daily absenteeism rate for a manufacturing department operating on a 7-day, 24-hour basis. Examining only day shift absenteeism rates for a few days and recording data presents a distorted picture. It is much better to collect data for all three shifts over a few months. Make sure your data is unbiased. Using the above example, collect attendance data daily at the end of every shift using legitimate measurements. Obtain copies of employee time cards signed by a supervisor as a legitimate method. Unverified time cards turned in at the end of the week may contain errors. Your activities as a data collector should not influence the behavior of those that you are researching. If this happens, it is known as the Hawthorne Effect.

Libraries:

Despite availability of electronic information, you can get the best results when you visit a well-equipped research library. You can connect to all types of electronic material, and also capitalize on much more. A vast number of resources await you, including the following: circulation areas made up of books, periodicals, catalogs, pamphlets, and newspapers an array of indexes, reports, microfiche, and microfilm an abundance of audio and video media and very importantly, a helpful and knowledgeable reference librarian If you have not used a library lately, make an appointment for a tour. Reference librarians are usually glad to assist you.

B. Research Methods:

Determine if primary and/or secondary information is suitable. Create a list of clear and relevant questions that are answered by the existence of something (yes/no answers, also known as close-ended answers), occurrence over time (time series answers), strongly agree or disagree (preferences), ranking, and elaboration (open-ended answers that allow for expansive responses).

Presentation Software:

For a professional final product, you'll want to use presentation software to create your piece. Presentation software is a computer software package used to display information, most often in the form of a slide show. Microsoft's PowerPoint is the presentation software program that you're probably the most familiar with. However, a quick search on the Internet reveals that there are many presentation programs to choose from. Your company, no doubt, has one of these programs available for your use. PowerPoint, and similar programs, change the way presenters develop and deliver their message to the audience. They have replaced the need for older visual aids such as overhead transparencies, chalkboards, posters, and flip charts. Presentation software programs are inexpensive so it is possible for anyone with a personal computer to create a professional presentation that is engaging and informative.

Level of Formality:

Formal research relies on following established methods, such as using guides on questionnaire development, while informal research is something you do based on convenience. Formal research efforts often have a monetary budget, time schedule, and defined methods, while informal research relies on impromptu preferences of the researcher. For example, when you perform research on new product development, you use a formal approach by creating, printing, and mailing surveys. On the other hand, when you talk with customers and sales representatives, you use an informal approach.

The Presentation:

Imagine you have a client coming to your office and your boss asks you to put together a presentation on a project he is working on. Let's talk about what you need from your boss to help create a winning presentation, including a strategy for starting your preparation and the software that can help you create a polished piece. Then we'll focus on the elements that you'll include in your winning presentation.

Slide Transitions and Animations:

In presentation software, slide transition refers to the way one slide changes to the next during a presentation. Animations are the visual effects applied to the text or graphics on a slide. While this may sound very technical, we simply want to caution you against the overuse of these features. We recommend you choose a simple transition and use it on every slide in the presentation. Too many different transitions become very distracting and lose their effectiveness. We like using animations when there are multiple bullet points on a slide. If the presenter displays a slide with all five points, the audience has a tendency to read all the points while the speaker is talking about the first one. With animation, the presenter can reveal one bullet point at a time as he or she talks. This keeps the audience focused on that topic. Remember, you want the audience to focus on the content of the message. Slide transitions and animations should subtly and seamlessly move the presentation along, without distracting the audience. Now that we've covered the importance of content and design, it's time to talk about the actual delivery of a presentation. Imagine that your boss asks you to be the presenter. Yes, you. Or alternatively, you may have a chance to deliver a presentation that you develop without input from your boss. We know that many of you may be afraid or nervous about speaking in front of an audience, so let's take a look at those things that will give you the confidence you need to overcome this fear.

The information that you assemble will be of limited value if you have errors. What are some common research errors and how can you prevent them? Be on guard for the following errors when performing research:

Inaccurate Observations Before you can explain why, it is important to know what you are observing. It is easy to become distracted when collecting primary information because of immaterial occurrences. Be deliberate. Overgeneralizations It is natural to look for patterns in things observed. Avoid assuming that a few similar occurrences are indicative of your entire research topic. A tendency to overgeneralize is greatest when there is pressure to arrive at a speedy conclusion. Strive to replicate results to ward off this research error. Selective Perception Selective perception often follows overgeneralizations. It occurs when you notice some things but not others. Once you incorrectly define a situation, you pay attention to subsequent observations that confirm a false conclusion. Observations that contradict a false conclusion are ignored. For example, you may overgeneralize that second shift (unsupervised) workers are less productive than first shift workers. Consequently, when you observe workers on the second shift, you pay attention to what they are doing wrong and not to what they are doing right. Develop sound research methods and data collection plans to avoid selective perception. Illogical Reasoning It is difficult to ignore observations that do not support early beliefs and preliminary data collection patterns. Initially when you study absenteeism, you may determine that freeway construction is the number one cause for tardy employees. However, once construction is complete, you may find that absenteeism has actually increased. Therefore, freeway construction is not a primary cause. For you to ignore this new information would be an example of illogical reasoning. We've covered a lot of ground on research and putting together information. Now it's time to prepare a presentation with your data. After all the time and effort you put into this research, you want to make sure a presenter shares it in a very meaningful way.

Sources of Secondary Information:

Information is available in a variety of places. We defined primary and secondary information earlier in the lesson. Let's discuss secondary information sources in more detail.

How is the zooming presentation feature used in a presentation?

It enlarges or reduces graphics in presentation software.

Delivering Your Presentation:

Now that you have prepared your presentation, the next step may be to deliver it in front of an audience. Reading the slides is not enough to make an impact on your audience. You must project confidence when presenting your thoughts and ideas. Here are some tips and guidelines to help you make a good impression.

Scientific Method (Use the Scientific Method to determine if sufficient evidence exists to support your ideas. When you perform research for your organization, you form beliefs based on what you encounter).:

Observations-Hypothesis-Predictions-Testing-Evaluation-Accept or Reject Hypothesis.

Internet:

Obtaining information from the Internet is a researcher's dream come true. With each passing year, an increasing amount of information is available. From prior lessons, you are already familiar with a common way of acquiring material from the Internet: use a search engine. While the Internet is convenient and powerful, there are two primary limitations. First, not all material is available via the Internet (although this is changing). Second, reliability of information may be in question. Compared to an article published in a reputable periodical, there are little or no controls for publishing Internet articles. Collect information from reliable sources and validate information by verifying it with more than one source.

The Scientific Method:

Perhaps you remember the scientific method from a high school or college science course. The scientific method is the best way to separate objective evidence from speculation. It is unbiased, meaning that anyone can reproduce your results and come to the same conclusion as long as you follow the defined research steps. Use the scientific method to determine if sufficient evidence exists to support your ideas. When you perform research for your organization, you form beliefs based on what you encounter.

What type of information would you obtain through an interview?

Primary Information

Preparation:

Rehearse your presentation out loud a few times. This allows you to make eye contact with your audience since you won't have to read your notes too often. You don't want to focus on memorizing a speech. It's much better to remember ideas—rather than specific wording—so you'll be able to talk about them easily. We advise asking a few of your colleagues to sit in on your rehearsal. Ask for honest feedback about your delivery, the content, and the visual presentation. Are any of the slides hard to read or understand? Can they hear you and is your message clear? By working these issues out ahead of time, you'll have more confidence and credibility on the day of the actual presentation. Check all the devices you'll be using before you give your presentation. This includes a laptop computer, projector, microphone, and any other devices you use. If possible, rehearse with all these devices hooked up so there are no surprise technical malfunctions on the day of the presentation.

Graphics, Color, Charts and Graphs:

Since this is a visual presentation, you should take full advantage of your ability to enhance your presentation with graphics, colors, charts, and graphs. But, of course, you don't want to overdo any of these elements. Visual aids, when used effectively, greatly enhance comprehension, but they can easily become cluttered or distracting. Use restraint with color. For a professional look, create a visual theme using colors and graphics related to the topic. Choose a subtle color for the background and use it consistently throughout the presentation. Limit the number of colors on a single slide. Bright colors can be used sparingly, but be careful as some are hard on the eyes if you have to look at them for an extended period of time. Don't go overboard with the number of graphics on each slide. You want the design to be uncluttered and clean. Use quality clip art and try to use the same style of graphics throughout the presentation. Charts and graphs can also be very effective in highlighting key points, but as with your other visual elements, you don't want to use too many and clutter up your presentation with them. Let's review some basic guidelines for using this type of graphic: Make the charts and graphs as simple as possible. The main idea of the chart or graph should jump right out at the audience. Use simple data labels. If the chart or graph has too much information, the audience may get confused or lose interest. Make use of color to draw the eye to the main point. Once again, however, you should make sure you don't overdo your use of color. Use no more than four different colors on a chart or graph. Use muted color for the background. Make sure to check how the colors look on a projection screen before the presentation, as some colors appear different than they do on a computer monitor. Presentation software has a few other features that we need to talk about since they help with the design of your slide show. Are you ready?

The Dimensions of Research:

Since we are devoting an entire chapter to research, it is important to establish a solid foundation by focusing on the following four dimensions of research. These dimensions help guide your research efforts. Orientation helps you understand the breadth of your research, level of formality assists you in the approach that you take, data collection volume determines the overall effort and time you need to invest, and complexity relates to overall skill-level requirements. By considering these four dimensions when you're first starting your project, you'll be able to make the strongest, most efficient approach and anticipate how you'll want to proceed as you go.

Orientation:

The orientation of your research either has a narrow or broad scope. Narrow orientation is specific and includes asking questions such as "What would management think if the company picnic started at 3:00 instead of 1:00?" The question "What do our employees think about the new performance evaluation system?" reflects a broad orientation. Make sure to define the scope of your research before you collect data.

F. Communication:

To close your research project, communicate your findings to your supervisor or project sponsor. Use a formal written report and/or a presentation. To avoid a superficial response to your communication, sell your research results if necessary. After all your hard work, it is important that you have an opportunity to share your conclusions and recommendations.

What is the purpose of a mock-up when you use a preparation strategy for a presentation?

To confirm you boss' or coworker's expectation regarding the presentation design and content.

Content:

To start, you must know the content of the presentation. This is the message, information, and data you'll be presenting, as well as the way you decide to organize this material. We find the easiest way to determine the content is to create an outline of the presentation. Write out the main ideas and then list the talking points that you want to emphasize under each main idea. You may find that you'll do some early stages of your content planning--such as creating a first draft of your outline--even before you do your research. In fact, thinking about the ideas you want to present explore in the content can help you determine what information you need to research. Once you have your main ideas, you can arrange them in a logical order. As you are doing this, delete any irrelevant information. This outline should include an introduction, which defines the subject of the presentation, a general overview of the information, and any background information about the topic and how it relates to the audience. The outline also includes an agenda with the topics to be covered. Be sure to discuss or define any terms, abbreviations or acronyms used in the presentation. List all the topics and discuss the details of each topic. Give examples to illustrate your topic. End with a summary of the information and describe how it applies to the audience. Now that you have an outline of the content of the presentation, it's time to work on the design of the presentation.

E. Interpretation:

Translating your analysis of data into a meaningful context requires a high degree of skill. It is necessary to have profound insight and excellent understanding of your research material. During this part of a research project, evaluate your hypothesis as a solution to your defined problem. Carefully compare data collected and subsequent analysis against your expectations.

What is the role of humor in delivering a presentation?

Use a humorous anecdote, or a graphic or video that is relevant to your topic.

Concluding the Presentation:

We encourage you to allow time for the audience members to ask questions. Remember, if the audience is large, chances are they might not be able to hear the question. Always repeat the question so that everyone knows what you're talking about when you give an answer. Don't interrupt the person asking the question before they are finished and answer the question succinctly, without rambling. To increase the effectiveness of your message, it's important to have a strong finish. There's an old axiom that says, "First tell the audience what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them." Conclude your presentation with a review of the main points and always end with a positive, hopeful note of encouragement. We always encourage our students to look for an opportunity to speak in front of others. If you follow the guidelines we've discussed, you can become more comfortable as a speaker. Who knows? You may actually find that you enjoy public speaking!

Design:

We think the most important step in an effective presentation is the design . This is the part of the presentation that the audience sees. However, keep in mind that your design won't be worth much without content that your audience is interested in. People are visual creatures so the slides need to be memorable and easy to read so they'll have the desired impact. You want the presentation to be attractive and to keep the audience's attention. Let's discuss some important factors that enhance the presentation and make it memorable: Don't overcrowd the slides. Try to have one key message per slide with no more than six lines on a slide. Use no more than six to eight words in a line, using phrases instead of sentences. More information than that can be overwhelming and look cluttered. Clearly label or title each slide. Make sure the slides are easily readable. Use fonts that are easy to read, with text at least 24 points. Do not use all capitals letters as this is more difficult to read. Use a larger font size or a different color for titles and headlines. Avoid using script type fonts as they are hard to read. Instead of underlining text, use bold type instead. Check your spelling and grammar. You don't want the audience distracted by a misspelling or a grammatical error.

A. Problem Definition:

Without a defined problem, there is no need to continue. Distinguish between problems and symptoms. Sales are down is a symptom. Sales are down because our customers are buying better products sold by Company X states a problem. Define a problem with your research sponsor.

Complexity:

You need to determine the level of complexity for your research activities. Too often researchers complicate their research efforts by over-elaborating. This results in investing too much time because they go overboard on research plan design and execution. Make sure to communicate openly and often with your research sponsor (usually your boss or a colleague) to manage research project complexity. Primary and secondary information highly relates to the complexity of your research. Collect primary information first-hand through interviews and questionnaires and secondary information from research of others presented in magazines, journals, and newspapers. Regardless of how you go about finding and organizing information, you'll want to make sure that you are accurately assessing the data you collect and following a sound method for drawing your interpretations. To achieve this, you'll want to use the scientific met

Data Collection Volume:

Your research may require you to spend extensive time collecting data at a well-equipped research library or by using search engines on the Internet. Alternatively, you may be able to collect all the data that you need in an hour or so by sending out e-mail messages or making a few telephone calls. Determine the amount of data needed to support the purpose of your research activity. It may be necessary to collect data from different parts of the world over a period of many months. If this is the case, you want to get an early start.

Observations are formed based on your environment. All research activities need a hypothesis, which is...

a tentative belief based on your observations. If testing and evaluations support a hypothesis, a theory is developed. Theories supported by testing and evaluation become fact. When Isaac Newton had an idea about the existence of gravity, he first developed a hypothesis, then a theory, and finally facts. While it is unlikely that you perform elaborate science experiments, use the scientific method to proceed logically when you perform research for your organization.

Presentation software typically offers three major functions:

an editing function that allows text to be inserted and formatted a method for inserting and manipulating graphic images a slide-show system to display the content These basic functions are easy to learn and easy to use. With a little more advanced training, you can develop a professional presentation with animation and images that communicates, educates, and captivates the audience. Most presentation programs come with pre-packaged images or clip art. You also have the ability to import graphics, including ones you've created. Imagine the audience's response when there are pictures or videos of your company's employees and events integrated in the presentation. A recent development is the zooming presentation editor . This technical term may not mean much to you. But what it's all about is looking at a number of small images on the screen and then picking one and zooming in and out. We have included an excellent example of this technology in the Supplemental Material section. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so take some time to view this demonstration and you will have a better understanding of this technology. So now, you should be ready to develop your presentation—except we've left one major topic out. What exactly will you put in your presentation? How do you organize the information? What visual aids do you use? Let's take a closer look at what's involved in developing a winning presentation.