1 day
Duration
£295+VAT
Public · per delegate
POA
In-house
30 CPD
Credits
Fig. 01 · Designing fair questions
01Overview
The question you ask decides the answer you get.
Surveys are the workhorse of consultation, yet most contain flaws that quietly bias the results: leading questions, confusing scales, poor structure. A well-designed questionnaire is harder than it looks, and far more valuable.
This course teaches the craft of survey design: writing clear, neutral questions, structuring a questionnaire that flows, choosing scales, maximising response rates and avoiding the pitfalls that make data unusable.
02Learning outcomes
What you'll take away
Delegates leave able to design surveys that yield reliable data.
01Write clear, neutral, unbiased questions
02Choose appropriate question types and scales
03Structure a questionnaire that flows logically
04Design for accessibility and completion
05Maximise response rates
06Avoid the design flaws that bias results
03The day
Four sessions
A full day on effective survey design.
09:30Writing questionsClear, neutral and answerable.
11:00Types & scalesChoosing the right formats.
13:30StructureA questionnaire that flows.
15:00Response ratesGetting enough of the right people.
04Who it's for
For anyone who writes surveys.
For officers who design or commission questionnaires.
Research & insight officers
Consultation officers
Policy officers
Communications teams
Anyone building a survey
Intermediate
Collecting Information, Data and Sampling
Sample the right people to answer your survey.
View course →
Intermediate
Data Analysis and Report Writing
Analyse and report your survey findings.
View course →
Intermediate
Creating a Coding Frame
Handle open-text survey responses rigorously.
View course →
06Before you book
Common questions
Anything not covered here, ask us. We answer the same day.
01How many CPD points do I earn?Thirty tCI CPD points. Every virtual and face-to-face course carries 30, and points are logged against your record when you attend. Members can download a CPD statement from the membership portal at any time, and this course counts towards the taught element of a tCI qualification.
02Is it virtual or face-to-face?Open places run as a live virtual workshop, delivered in real time by a tCI trainer, never a recording. Groups stay small enough that everyone can speak, and you work in breakouts as well as listening. The same course runs face-to-face at your own offices as an in-house session.
03How long is the course?One full day, 09:30 to 16:30, in four sessions with breaks between each, opening with ‘Writing questions’ and closing with ‘Response rates’. The day is built around practical exercises rather than presentation, so you leave having worked on survey design rather than only having heard about it.
04Can you run this in-house for our team?Yes, and it is the usual choice for teams of six or more. In-house delivery works from your sector and the consultations you have in front of you, so the survey design exercises use your own material. We can run it in person or virtually, and split it across two half-days where a full day is hard to protect. Ask us about bespoke for a quote.
05Do I need prior experience or other courses first?No prior course is required. It is pitched at intermediate level, so it suits people who have run or commissioned engagement already. If you want the groundwork first, Collecting information, data and sampling is a good precursor.
06Who delivers the course?A tCI trainer who specialises in research and data and works in it, not only teaches it. The named trainer for each date is shown on the course calendar and confirmed in your joining instructions the week before. You can put live problems to them on the day and expect a straight answer.
Bring this workshop in-house for your whole team
The same course, reworked around the consultations your team is running.