Feedback and survey design
Choosing questions for an event survey
The draft survey has grown to forty questions because every committee member added one.
Opens WhatsApp with a draft you can edit before sending. Nothing is sent automatically.
The short answer
Keep a question only if you can name the objective it serves, the person who will act on the answer and what they would do differently. Cut or merge anything else.
Then check each remaining question for leading wording, two questions in one and personal details you do not need.
The four-part test for every question
- Objective: which feedback objective does this serve?
- Action: who will use the answer, and what would change?
- Fit: can delegates answer this from their own experience?
- Burden: is this the shortest way to get the answer, and is it needed from everyone?
Common question problems
| Problem | Example | Better version |
|---|---|---|
| Leading wording | How excellent was the keynote? | How would you rate the keynote? (neutral scale) |
| Two questions in one | Were the venue and catering satisfactory? | Ask venue and catering separately, or drop one. |
| Assumes an answer | What did you enjoy about networking? | Did you take part in networking? If yes, how useful was it? |
| Asks what they cannot know | Did the event improve your members' profits? | Ask what they plan to do differently, labelled as intention. |
| Personal detail not needed | Age, full name or home address with no stated use. | Ask only what an objective needs, in broad groups, and make it optional. |
Mix question types on purpose
Scaled questions are quick to count but say little about why. Open questions explain but take time to read, so limit them to two or three.
Put your most important questions first, and keep each section short. Completion falls when delegates meet a long grid early.
Personal data in a survey
Name, role, organisation and contact details can all identify a respondent, especially in a small audience. Collect them only if an objective needs them, tell people why and offer an anonymous route where you can.
Ask your data protection contact to confirm what is collected, how long it is kept and who can see it before the survey goes out.
Test before sending
Ask two or three colleagues who did not write the draft to complete it and say what each question meant to them. Fix anything they read differently from your intent.
Build the final version with the feedback questionnaire builder, which flags leading questions and unnecessary personal fields, then check coverage against the objective-to-measure planner.
Worked example · Fictional example
A forum survey is cut from 40 questions to 15
Fictional organisation and figures, written to show the level of detail that is useful.
A fictional manufacturers' forum drafted 40 questions for about 220 delegates. The secretariat ran the four-part test with the chair.
Eighteen questions had no named action, six combined two topics and four asked for details that were never going to be used. The final survey kept 15 questions, including two optional comment boxes, and removed the age field. Each remaining question was tagged with the objective it served.
Use this yourself
Question audit worksheet
Copy this table and list every draft question. Strike out any row with a blank in the first three columns.
| Draft question | Objective served | Who acts on the answer | What would change | Leading or double? | Personal data needed? | Keep, rewrite or cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have two to four clear objectives and one person who owns the survey.
- The survey is short and for your own committee.
- No personal details are needed beyond what registration already holds.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several committees want questions added, and the survey keeps growing.
- The survey will be shared with members, a funder or head office.
- You want to collect personal details and need the handling agreed first.
Want a survey that matches your objectives?
An Event Blueprint can include a feedback plan with the question list tied to each agreed objective, the questions removed and why, and the handling points for your data protection contact. The questions stay yours; the planning pack keeps the list short and linked to decisions.
Questions organisers ask
How many questions should an event survey have?
As few as your objectives need. Many professional-event surveys can serve their purpose in 10 to 15 questions, but let your objectives set the number, not a fixed target.
Should every question be compulsory?
No. Make only essential questions compulsory. Forced answers on sensitive or irrelevant questions tend to produce skipped surveys or careless answers.
Can we reuse questions from another event?
Yes, if they still serve your objectives. Reusing your own questions lets you compare year on year; do not compare with other organisers' results unless the questions and audience match.
Do we need to collect names?
Only if you need to follow up with the person. Otherwise keep responses anonymous, and ask your data protection contact before adding any identifying field.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.