A facilitator at a flipchart working through a branching diagram of sticky notes, watched by a colleague

Foundation e-Learning · EL-110 Research & data

Surveys and Questionnaires.

Thirty minutes on writing questions that produce data you can rely on.

Starting point No prior knowledge required

01 Why it matters

A survey is not the quick option

Surveys and Questionnaires must be informed by understanding the audience; they must sit in the world of the respondent, not in the world of the person writing them.

They cannot and should not be seen as a quick and easy option for gathering data; the questions need to be carefully planned and researched for. This course covers the basics of survey and questionnaire design.

Thirty minutes, self-paced. It is one of the three short research modules at £80. A leading question in a live survey cannot be taken back, which is why the wording is worth the time. For the same ground worked through with a trainer, there is a taught version.

02 Topics include

What the course covers

Five topics, in the order you would build a survey.

Hard-copy vs OnlineWhat each format gains you, and who each one leaves out. Response rates and who answers differ enough to change what the data means. Online is cheaper and faster to analyse, paper reaches people the internet does not, and running both leaves you reconciling two sets of returns.

Question typesThe forms a question can take, and what each one yields. Closed questions count easily and compare across groups. Open ones tell you why, at the cost of coding every answer by hand. Most surveys need a mix, and the ratio should be a decision you have made deliberately.

Wording, clarity, and languageWhere a leading question comes from, and how to catch one before it goes live. The reading level of the survey, the assumptions buried in a phrase, and the gap between a question people can answer and one they can only guess at.

Scales and rating/rankingGetting a measurable answer without forcing a false choice. Whether to offer a midpoint, how many points a scale needs to be useful, and when ranking tells you something a rating cannot. Scales that look neutral often are not.

Filter questionsBranching, so nobody answers a question meant for someone else. Funnel questions do the opposite, narrowing from the general to the specific so each answer arrives in context. Both keep the survey shorter for the individual than it looks on paper.

By the end of the session you understand

✓

Different types of questions in a survey and how to write them

✓

Why question wording and context is important

✓

Filter and funnel questions

03 Who is this course for?

Anyone writing the questions.

This course is aimed at those at an operational level who are likely to be constructing surveys.

IntermediateRD-203

Surveys and questionnaires

The full day. Question wording and structure worked through with a trainer, against a survey you are actually writing. View the course → Not sure what you need?

Training Needs Diagnostic

Free, and it takes a few minutes. You get course recommendations based on your experience and your practice. Take the diagnostic →

04 The rest of the research ladder

All foundation modules →

IntermediateRD-201

05Before you enrol

Common questions

Anything not covered here, ask us. We answer the same day.

How long does the course take?

Approximately 30 minutes. It is self-paced, so you can stop and return, and your place is remembered.

Why is it cheaper than the other modules?

The three research modules are the short ones, twenty-five to thirty minutes at £80. The modules on methods and law run from forty minutes at £140 upwards. The CPD award is the same five points.

Does it cover online survey tools?

It covers the choice between hard-copy and online and what each does to your responses. It is about designing the questions, so it does not teach a particular piece of survey software.

Should I take this or the taught course?

This one for the basics of question design on your own time. Surveys and questionnaires if you have a survey in draft and want a trainer to work through it with you.

How do I pay?

Pay by credit card when you book, or email contact@consultationinstitute.org if you prefer to be invoiced.

How many CPD points does it carry?

Five tCI CPD points, logged against your record when you finish, along with a certificate of completion.

Write the survey in the respondent’s world

£80 for a single licence, five CPD points, and a certificate at the end.

Take this course → All foundation modules