How to Prepare a Questionnaire

Questionnaires are made differently as they may serve various purposes. Generally, a questionnaire is used to gain feedback or input from a given respondent. Common examples of questionnaires used in the corporate world are HR questionnaires, training questionnaires, and even marketing questionnaires. A questionnaire is considered to be effective if it has the ability to garner reliable information from the people who willingly answer them. The data gathered may be used for research development, to improve a given service, or for simple record-keeping.

Steps in Making a Questionnaire

• Identify a theme. With a theme, you can specify what data needs to be gathered and how these may be acquired in the form of a question.
• Ask simple questions. Be as specific as possible. Your respondents need to be able to answer each question without much deliberation.
• Ask the same question in different ways. There’s always a chance that your respondent may be answering the questionnaire absentmindedly. To assess the reliability of such response, ask the same question several times but in different ways.
• Choose a delivery method. If you want to reach a wider audience, you can distribute your questionnaires through various social networks.

Administering the Questionnaire

Questionnaire examples may be delivered in several different ways. This could be done through interviews, websites, SMS, email, or even through social media. This would depend on the kind of information you wish to obtain as well as the audience you want to reach.

To administer the business questionnaire, you need to be inviting. Doing this personally can be easy, as most people are too polite to refuse. But if you’re using a certain platform for this, you need to come up with a gimmick. Some people opt to to give away freebies to individuals who willingly answer their questionnaires. If you don’t have the budget for such, you can always force your respondents to answer, discreetly that is. Some organizations use pop-ups in their websites to conduct these surveys.

Remember, try not to be too annoying when doing this. Some respondents provide negative feedback when they’re made to answer a questionnaire unwillingly. Not only will this garner unreliable data but you might also lose your customers.

Tips for a Better Questionnaire

• Provide instructions. Tell your respondents how the questionnaire should be answered. Allow them to contact you for any concerns or clarifications.
• Use simple language. Respondents may come from different backgrounds, it’s important to keep your questions as relatable as possible.
• Limit the possible choices. For questions where answers are readily provided, avoid making a long list. Respondents may find it difficult to evaluate each.
• Arrange it in a logical order. Start your questionnaire with general questions before asking specific ones.
• Keep it short. Lengthy questionnaires can be too intimidating to answer. Respondents will feel like they’re answering an exam rather than a survey questionnaire.
• Do a trial run. Allow a few people to answer your questionnaire and ask them for feedback. This will help you point out mistakes and inappropriate questions that need to be edited.