Questionnaires and surveys are not always the best option for gathering feedback.
To judge whether this will be an effective method in your context, think carefully about:
- Your audience - will they have time and want to participate?
- Your setting/venue
- Your timeframe - both for conducting the questionnaire, and for processing/analysing the results afterwards.
If you do decide to use a questionnaire, here are some tips:
- Be aware that you will probably need ethical approval for any questionnaires you are running, so factor in sufficient time for the approval process (via ERGO).
- Keep to 10 questions or (ideally) fewer.
- Avoid asking about more than one thing within a question, eg: 'Do you feel your attendance at today's event was what you expected, and would you come again?' Separate out each aspect that needs its own answer to ensure you get what you need from each question.
- Think about and word the questions carefully, to be 'open' rather than 'closed': 'What aspects ... did you enjoy?' rather than 'Did you enjoy ...?' This will prevent an unhelpful yes/no answer.
- If asking questions in person, keep to your script and avoid inadvertently influencing the respondent.