If you want to be successful as a trainer, you need to know your participants above all: What they can do, what they expect, and how good your training is. You can find out most easily through methods like quizzes and surveys. In the first part of our "Asking Right!" series, we explain how to choose the right question type so that you really get the answers you need!

If you have ever created a quiz or a survey yourself, you have probably noticed: It's not that easy! You not only need to know what you want to ask but, above all: How? Besides the concept and the right formulation, it is mainly about the selection of the right question type. And that is tricky and time-consuming.

“Questionnaire design” is not for nothing a mandatory subject in many study programs. I will abbreviate this for you and explain the most common question types: What are single and multiple-choice questions, scales, and open-ended questions? And which type is best suited for each of your questions?

The 4 Classic Question Types

If you already know exactly what you want to ask, the most important thing is to phrase the question correctly. The question type you choose mainly depends on what answers you need to achieve your goal!

There are a variety of question types available. I will introduce you to the four “classic” question forms for paper and online questionnaires. For each question type, there is a concrete example of how such a question can look in an online questionnaire.

1. The Open Question for Individual Answers

Open questions do not provide answer options. The participant can freely respond to the question. An open question could look like this:

This is how an open question can look in an online questionnaire. An open answer field, possibly with hints for the participant, enables an individual response. // Source: blink.it platform

What is important: to formulate the question as “short and crisp” as possible.

Well suited for: questions where you do not yet know what answer options might even be available. Or as a preliminary survey before a training session to inquire about the problems and wishes of participants individually and openly.

Not suitable for: surveys or quizzes with large numbers of participants. Evaluating open responses takes a lot of time, and the answers are hard to compare.

2. The Single Choice Question for Simple Selection

With a single choice question, you provide possible answers. The characteristic is that only one answer is correct or only one answer may be checked. Here is an example of a good single choice:

This is how a single choice question can look in an online questionnaire: All possible answers are covered, and each participant can make a simple entry. // Source: blink.it platform

What is important: that there is a correct answer for each participant. If you're unsure if you know all the options, provide an additional alternative like “other” or “I don’t know.”

Well suited for: large groups of participants and short surveys or quizzes, as the questions are quick and easy to answer.

Not suitable for: topics where you do not know all the answer options or need an individual response from each participant.

3. The Multiple Choice Question with Diverse Options

In this question type, responses are also provided by you. In contrast to the single choice, participants can check multiple answers here. A multiple choice could look like this:

This is how a multiple choice question can look in an online questionnaire: Several answer options are provided, which can have one or more checked. // Source: blink.it platform

What is important: also to allow an alternative answer here. Additional answers can be added that you can incorporate next time.

Well suited for: large groups of participants and short surveys or quizzes, as the questions are quick and easy to answer. Also, a simple way of assessing knowledge.

Not suitable for: topics where you do not know all answer options or need an individual response from each participant.

4. The Scale Question for Personal Assessment

The special aspect of scale questions is the internal order of the answer options. There is a fixed sequence with two “extremes.” Typically, only the two endpoints are labeled, as you can see in the example:

This is how a scale in an online questionnaire can look: Participants can provide their personal opinion in 5 gradations. In this example with a “neutral” middle. // Source: blink.it platform

What is important: the number of points in the scale! If you want to allow your participants a “neutral” answer, choose an odd number (“3” would be a neutral answer in the example picture above). This is especially recommended for very personal questions that might make the participants uncomfortable. If you want a clear tendency without a middle ground, choose an even number.

Well suited for: capturing moods, opinions, and dispositions. Participants can express their statements in a differentiated manner and gradate them.

Not suitable for: clear yes/no questions, knowledge questions, and questions about characteristics where an order is not important for your evaluation (e.g., “How old are you?”).

Tip: Are you already a blink.it customer? Then you can find here many more details and guides on interactions in Blink: quiz, exam, and survey.

Conclusion: The question determines the form!

As you can see, the selection of the right question type depends on what you actually want to know:

• Open questions give you individual answers from your participants, for example, as personal feedback from your participants on the seminar.

• Single choice questions help you collect individual data easily and quickly, for example, for demographic data such as age or professional position.

• Multiple choice questions provide combinations of predefined answers, for example, when participants are to select several skills that are important to them in the workplace.

• Scale questions assess opinions and moods and are perfectly suited to track participant satisfaction as a numerical value (grade, 1 to 10, …).

Preview: In the next part of our article series "Asking Right!" we will continue together on the path to the perfect questionnaire for your training or seminar: We will help you develop a concept and formulate great questions.

Directly to Part 2: Plan and formulate good questionnaires

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