SURVEY means “a careful examination of something as a whole and in detail”.

The word “survey” as used in Public Relations terminology means to carefully examine public opinion with regard to an idea, a product, an aspect of life, or any other subject. By examining in detail (person to person surveying) one can arrive at a whole view of public opinion on a subject by tabulating highest percentage of popular response.

The purpose of this Policy Letter is to describe the two most important aspects of surveying so that 100% successful results can be obtained every time. Though there are many different types of surveys, the method used is the same. The two components of surveying are:

1. The Mechanics of doing the survey itself.

2. The Beingness of the surveyor.

The actions involved in doing a survey are simple and few. The first thing you do is establish the questions you are going to ask into the public to find out what is wanted and needed, popular or unpopular or whatever. Creating the survey questions is a technology in. itself and is covered primarily in HCO Policy Letter 2 June 1971 PR Series No. 10.

After the questions are established they are mimeoed on survey forms or typed on a piece of plain paper for the surveyor to refer to. If one were doing a survey in a city where large numbers of people are interviewed the survey forms might be most practical. However, all that is needed for most surveys is a clipboard with plenty of plain paper and several ball point pens. The survey question page is then placed on top of the pad of paper and flipped back while taking notes of the interview.

The only materials needed for a survey are several ball point pens (so running out of ink in the middle of the survey doesn’t cause interruption), plenty of paper and a clipboard.

To begin a survey, you simply walk up to a person and in a friendly manner introduce yourself (if a stranger) and ask to survey them. If additional R-Factor is requested, it is given and then the survey is begun.

Ask the person the first question, flip back the question page and take down the answer. Be sure to number the answers corresponding to the question number being asked. You needn’t write down every word as the person speaks to you but get the most important points. You will find, after practice surveying, you can write almost everything down.

After the person has answered the first question, thank him or her with good TRs to acknowledge that comm cycle and go to the next question. All you have to do is BE THERE, be INTERESTED in what the person is saying, and take down his answers.

At the end of the survey thank the person very much. The person will most likely be thanking you by this point as people LOVE to be asked their opinion of things. And having another terminal grant beingness to this and listen attentively is a rare and valuable experience to many.

Then go to the next person and repeat the same procedure. This is all there is to the mechanical action of surveying.

The final tabulation of a survey is very simple. The following data was written and compiled while conducting an Ethnic Survey.

1. Count all the surveys.

2. Establish various categories of answers for each question by listing answers briefly as you go through the surveys.

3. Soon you will be able to merely mark a slant by each category, the slant meaning one more answer of a similar nature.

4. Then you total the answers given for a particular category of answer. Let’s say you had 1,500 answers of a similar nature to one question and your total number of surveys is 2,500. This means 60% gave that similar type of answer (1500/2500).

5. You then list each question and under that question list the categories of answers and the percentage from the highest to the lowest.

6. The only mistake you can make is not to realize the similarity of answers and so have a great diversity of categories.

Just as an Auditor has to have his TRs in, has to abide by the Auditor’s Code and BE there as a terminal for the pc to communicate to, so must a Surveyor.

Outward appearance of the surveyor must be clean, tidy, and the dress ethnically acceptable for whichever public is being surveyed.

A successful surveyor must have a high affinity for other beings-friends or complete strangers. A friendly NATURAL approach to people is required. A sincere smile and good TRs is the door opener. And CONFRONT. You have to reach out to complete strangers and get them interested in themselves enough to let you know where their Reality is at so you can help them.

This is completely natural to any trained Scientologist anyway. A Scientologist knows the formula of communication, knows to grant beingness to another, and that ARC = Understanding. With these factors and the basic TRs in, the person being interviewed will feel relaxed about communicating his ideas and Realities.

This is all there is to surveying, and you will be amazed with the results attained!

Listed below are some DON’TS just to make sure possible pitfalls are known about and avoided.

1. Don’t dress in an unclean or unethnic way. That would automatically make you unwelcome.

2. Don’t be short of materials and have to fumble for a pen or survey form. The person might walk off from you in the meantime if you’re doing a survey on the street.

3. Don’t be backward or shy. Would make you look unconfident of your own product or purpose for being there.

4. Don’t overwhelm with forceful overzealous approach or comm.

5. Don’t be over-serious, or on the other hand giddy. Anything phony is absolutely detrimental.

6. Don’t do socially unacceptable practices like chewing gum loudly, biting your fingernails or any one of dozens of other little annoyances.

7. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. The person must feel you CARE about what he feels and thinks.

8. Don’t be propitiative or the other extreme condescending. Be YOURSELF, in valence and confident.

9. Don’t cut a person’s comm or be gruff in any way.

10. Don’t act super-sweet either. Be friendly and BUSINESSLIKE.

As a matter of interest, there is a certain PR textbook which describes a method of surveying called “depth interview” It is said that this method takes highly trained interviewers and skilled analysts.

Now these fellows think a successful surveyor needs years of training of some kind or another.

But because you have the technology to UNDERSTAND the basics of the mind, yourself and other people, you accomplish what seems miraculous by any other standards.

The miracles of Survey results are easily attainable and valuable. But don’t be surprised if other people still think you’re a genius.