Writing questions people actually answer

A survey is a request for someone’s time. The questions decide whether they give it once, or every quarter.

Ask one thing at a time

“How satisfied are you with your manager and your workload?” cannot be answered honestly by someone who likes one and not the other. Split it.

Say what the scale means

Label both ends of every scale — “Not at all” and “Completely” — so a 6 means the same thing to everyone who gives it.

Keep it short

Twelve good questions beat forty mediocre ones. Aim for three minutes: completion drops sharply after that, and a long survey this quarter costs you answers on the next.

Use their words

Write the way your audience talks. “How manageable was your workload this month?” gets more answers than “Please rate your perceived workload sustainability.”

End with one open question

One place to say what the scales missed is enough. More than one, and most people leave them all blank.

Tell them what happens next

The last screen should say when results will be shared. People answer the next survey when they saw what happened to the last one.

Test it on three people first

Send a preview to three colleagues before the campaign goes out. If one of them asks what a question means, it needs rewriting.