The goal of a 360-degree feedback project is to provide participants and organizations with actionable information. A carefully written survey facilitates that goal. Participants are engaged, feel valued and are more likely to answer questions honestly.

The key to any good writing is you remember your audience. Work to gain their trust. Craft your survey with honest consideration of your participants—their opinions, experiences, and perspectives.

Here are a few ideas to help you write a survey that can create a positive, results-rich 360-degree feedback system.

360-degree survey length
Limit to Fifteen Minutes
As a general rule, participants should be able to complete a survey in fifteen minutes. The longer your survey, the lower your response rate will be. The number of questions you can include in your survey will vary. You can test your survey with a group of potential raters to see how long the survey will take.

Raters often have more than ten surveys to complete. Fifteen minutes per survey adds up to hours away from their regular work. Keeping your survey short, shows consideration of the constraints on your participants time.

Review your Objectives
If your survey is too long, take some time to review the goals of your 360 survey. Are you trying to do too much at once? Perhaps you can split your survey into parts and complete another survey at another time of year. Some organizations will do a general survey for all participants at one time of year with more area specific (marketing, production, etc.) 360-degree feedback projects later in the year.

Don’t Sacrifice Depth
Just because you limit the length of your survey doesn’t mean you should sacrifice depth of content. You can still measure those competencies that are critical to your project. If you over simplify, participants will not trust you have collected enough information to generate meaningful results.

Survey Appearance
Quality content should be your first priority, but you shouldn’t ignore your 360 survey’s appearance. Attention to a few simple design features can improve participants impression of and experience with your survey.

Be Consistent
Each page of your 360 survey should follow the same format. Responses should be entered in the same place for all questions and on each page. Instructions should also be in the same place for each section of the survey.

Limit Content
Limit the content on each page. Participants should be able to see all of the content for that page without scrolling down or sideways. Each page whether online or on paper should have plenty of space.

Use a Logical Layout
Arrange the items on your page in a logical order. For example, each question and its answers should be clearly separated from the other questions. When taking a survey by computer, it is easy for participants to unintentionally choose the wrong response because their eyes and the cursor drift. Arranging items clearly and logically makes it easier for your participants and improves the reliability of your results.

Keep it Simple
Your survey should be clear and simple in content and appearance. Limit the use of unusual fonts and colors. Limit the use of graphics and pictures. Use simple programming that will appear consistently on most browsers, screens and computers. Not all of your participants will have the latest and greatest in computer hardware and software.

360 Survey Organization
Participants want to help, but each complication you place in their way will reduce their interest and willingness to participate. Here are a few organizational tips that will help you maximize your response rate.

Use a Logical Flow
Organize questions in a logical flow. Put participants at ease and familiarize them with the process by starting with easy questions. Answers should also follow a logical flow to minimize confusion and response time. Make it easy for participants to find their chosen response.

Keep Your Scale Consistent
Some designers think they can keep participants alert by switching the scale from question to question. In reality, participants quickly become frustrated or don’t notice the changes to the scale and enter mistaken responses.

Make Response Input Easy
Drop down menus may work for a few items, but over several questions, they slow participants down and cause frustration. Buttons usually make a better choice. One mouse click and the question is answered. Participants can move much more smoothly when they can see all of the content on the page at once.

Survey Language
Avoid Lingo and Jargon
Don’t assume your participants know what abbreviations, catch phrases or jargon. Be sure to define any terms that may be potentially tricky. Write out abbreviations and acronyms.

Remember your Audience
Remember the reading level and experience of your audience. Remove any chance of confusion by using common language. Your goal is to remove any barriers to your participants’ completion of the survey.

Use Positive Language
Use positive language in your survey. Instead of saying “Do not choose more than one answer” say “please select only one response” or “please select the most applicable response” This improves the overall tone of the survey and prevents participants from feeling bossed around or threatened.

Any step you take to create a user-friendly, accommodating survey will strengthen your 360-degree feedback project.