Try asking things in different ways. If you're having difficulty getting the interviewee to understand any of your questions, you can use your own experience to illustrate situations you're concerned with. For example, "When my father was injured at work several years ago, our neighbors really helped my family out by bringing meals to us, driving my dad to his medical appointments when my mom had to work, that kind of thing. Do you think people in this community would do the same kind of thing for one another? Why or why not?"

Another technique you may want to use to get more information from the interviewee is to bring up hypothetical situations -- the "what if?" questions. For example, "What if a needle exchange program were started downtown to cut down on HIV infection? Do you think community leaders would support it or be opposed to it?" The interviewee will often respond with examples of how similar things have occurred in the neighborhood.

Let the interviewee end the interview. Once you've gathered all the information you need, ask the interviewee what he or she wants to know from you. The interviewee will feel validated by the opportunity to express his or her questions, and the questions may reveal more useful information to you.

This is a good time for you to start getting to know people and building real relationships with them. Folks will generally be impressed that you care enough about the community to be doing all this research, so be sure to take the time to set aside your notepad or tape recorder and just talk a bit with your contacts.

Thank the interviewee for his or her time. Following up with a short thank-you note isn't just good manners --it helps your contacts remember who you are, and leaves them with a positive impression. That way, they're more willing to work with you in the future.

Consider finding a local teammate for the entire process. Having someone to bounce ideas off of, especially someone who is intimately acquainted with the community, is very effective.

Checklist

Here, you'll find a checklist summarizing the major points contained in the text.

What is a community? 

____A community can be any group sharing something in common.

What do we mean by understanding and describing the community?

___You must understand the community's physical and geographic contexts -- the setting in which the community exists.

__You must understand the community's people, culture, and web of relationships.

__ Explore all dimensions of the community -- physical/geographical,  demographic, social, cultural, political, and economic.

__A community description puts together the information you've gathered in a form that creates a picture of the community that you can use to provide a context for your community assessment and to see the results of whatever actions you take to bring about change.

Why make the effort to understand and describe your community?

__ It will give you a general idea, even before an assessment, of the community's strengths and the challenges it faces.

__ It will capture unspoken, influential rules and norms. 

__ It will give you a feel for the attitudes and opinions of the community when you're starting work on an initiative.

__ It will help to ensure the security of your organization's staff and participants.  

__ It will give you enough familiarity with the community to allow you to converse intelligently with residents about community issues, personalities and geography. 

__ It will enable you to talk convincingly with the media about the community.

__ It will allow you to share information with other organizations or coalitions that work in the community so that you can collaborate or so that everyone's work can benefit.

__ It will provide background and justification for grant proposals.

__ It will give you insight into the context of the community so that you can tailor interventions and programs to its norms and culture, and increase your chances of success. 

When should you make an effort to understand and describe the community?

__ When you're new to a community and want to be well informed before beginning your work.

__ When you've been working in a community for any length of time and want to take stock.

__ When you're feeling like you're stuck in a rut and need a fresh perspective.

__ When you're considering introducing a new initiative or program and want to assess its possible success. 

__ When a funder asks you to, often as part of a funding proposal.

Whom should you contact to gather information?

__Elected officials.

__ Community planners and development officers.

__ Chiefs of police.

__ School superintendents, principals, and teachers.

__ Directors or staff of health and human service organizations.

__ Health professionals.

__ Clergy.

__ Community activists.

__ Real estate agents, housing advocates, and others knowledgeable about the real estate situation in the community.

__ Presidents or chairs of civic or service clubs -- Chamber of Commerce, veterans' organizations, Lions, Rotary, etc.

__ People without titles, but identified by others as "community leaders" or "natural helpers."

__ Owners or CEO's of large businesses (these may be local or may be large corporations with local branches.)

How do you go about understanding and describing the community?

__ Be prepared to learn from the community.

__ Be aware that people's speech, thoughts, and actions are not always rational.

__ Don't assume that the information people give you is necessarily accurate.

__ Beware of activities that may change people's behavior.

__ Take advantage of the information and facilities that help shape the world of those who have lived in the community for a long time.

__ Network, network, network.

__ Gather information using:

• Public and other records and archives.
• Individual and group interviews and conversations.
• Surveys.
• Direct and participant observation.

 __ Examine:

• The community's physical and geographical characteristics, including infrastructure.
• Community demographics.
• Community history.
• Community government and politics.
• Community institutions.
• Community groups and organizations.
• Economics and employment.
• Social structure.

__ Create a community description that you can use as a reference.

__ The description can take a number of forms, and can include, drawings, photos, maps, charts, video, audio, animation, or any other feature that you're capable of including and that helps paint an accurate and compelling picture of the community.

__ Continue over time to gather information and update your community description as the community changes and develops.