Survey

Writing an effective survey that will generate interest is an inexact science. However, Plum Voice has provided a series of blog posts that contain several helpful tips for survey writing. Here are some of the company’s most notable guidelines:

1. Keep it simple. It’s very important to phrase survey questions so that anyone can understand them. For example: instead of asking “Are you fond of piloting automobiles?”, just ask “Do you like to drive?” Similarly, using simple grammar makes it easy for respondents to understand. Try to write the question the way you would if the person was sitting in front of you. Don’t ask “For whom did you last do a favor?” Just ask “Who was the last person you did a favor for?” There’s no need to be formal.

2. Make it short, but thoughtful. Like anything else, surveys are most effective when they hold people’s attention. It’s unlikely that a large number of people will complete a survey with 100 questions. Make sure you begin, make your point, and then finish. Also, keep the questions themselves short. If this means you have to break a question up into two separate questions, that’s fine. It’s also important to start the survey off with your more interesting questions to draw respondents in. Once you’ve done that, keep them stimulated by placing the most interesting questions at intervals.

3. Put yourself in respondents’ shoes. Design your survey based on the likelihood that you would complete it yourself. If you were asked to fill out a long survey while surfing the Internet, you probably wouldn’t do it. Nor would you be likely to complete a survey with long and complicated questions. Considering the psychology of respondents is a key element of writing surveys. If the person who wrote the survey wouldn’t actually fill it out, why would anyone else?

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