Learning research methods: Challenge or phobia?

We know the cliche from Saturday Night Live: “I was told there would be no math.”

That’s why we communicators often quail at the prospect of research. We always envision acres of mysterious formulae, tables of incomprehensible numbers, Greek letter symbols and even muttered incantations.

Easy there, tiger.

In our online Master’s in Strategic Communication, we have two required courses in research methods, MC 6301 (which I teach often and will in Spring 2024) Quantitative Research Methods; and MC 6401 Qualitative Research Methods. The latter is going on this semester and features Dr. Josh Atkinson in the pilot seat.

We offer these two because anyone in strategic communication leadership has to be able to understand when to use what sort of methods (depending on the purpose and application of the research), and enough about how they work to know how to work with research specialists and suppliers.

In MC 6301, we cover the main methods: surveys, quantitative content analysis and experiments. We also cover digital metrics, such as web and social media. The idea is to make sure students know why we use the methods we do, what constitutes proper methodologies (like writing good survey questions), and what we do when we analyze the data we get from them. This makes it easier as a leader to select suppliers and specialists, and to operate from a strategic perspective. The basics of statistical analysis, like mean, mode, median, correlation, regression, etc. are introduced, but the emphasis is on understanding the output of the research and applying it to various types of communication situations.

In MC 6401 it’s interviews, focus groups, ethnography, participant observation and qualitative content analysis. The idea is to be able to DO these methods — they are the most common that professional communicators are called upon to do. You also read a bunch of research reports and apply them to current events and situations. Finally, you learn which circumstances best lend themselves to qualitative methods.

Does that scare you? I’ve now been knocking around the research world for a while, so it no longer does me! Explore our program and see if it’s for you. If you are looking to expand your knowledge, prepare yourself to lead the communication function or take on more responsibility in your agency or firm, give me a shout. 419-372-2372.