Ask & listen
A short survey instead of a lesson — people share their views, nothing is scored.
Based on: good survey design and pulse checks. Short, frequent surveys with clear, neutral questions get more honest answers than a long annual questionnaire. People answer when they know why you ask, it takes a minute or two, and they later see that something happened.
When to use it
- Pulse surveys and employee satisfaction.
- Evaluating a training, an event or a new process.
- Collecting ideas and suggestions from the team.
- Anywhere you want to hear people rather than teach them.
Used by: Feedback & research.
How the lesson flows
| # | Card | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Card — We'd like to hear from you | Why you ask, how long it takes, what happens with the answers. |
| 2 | Rate | The overall question, e.g. how satisfied people are. |
| 3–4 | Poll | One specific thing per question, balanced options, no right answer. |
| 5 | Form | The open question that matters most — optional to answer. |
| — | End card | Set to Thank you: no score, no "not passed". |
A lesson started from this approach has the end card set to Thank you and Allow taking it again off.
Tips
- Two minutes at most. Every extra question costs answers.
- One thing per question, neutral wording, no leading questions. Balanced options: as many positive as negative ones.
- Make open questions optional (turn off Required) — people skip a survey rather than write when they have nothing to say.
- Turn on Anonymous poll when people should answer freely. For fully anonymous answers, see Feedback & research.
- Close the loop: tell people what you learned and what you'll do. Your next survey will get more answers.
Where it comes from
In 1932 the American psychologist Rensis Likert published a way to measure attitudes with a simple scale from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree". The Likert scale is still the backbone of most surveys. Later research on survey design showed how much the wording matters: a leading question, two questions in one, or a scale with more positive than negative options all bend the answers.
Large annual engagement surveys have gradually given way to pulse surveys: a few questions, sent often. Answers arrive while the situation is still fresh, and teams can react within weeks instead of a year.
Did you know?
- People tend to agree with whatever statement they are shown (acquiescence bias). That's why "How useful was it?" with a scale works better than "The training was useful — agree / disagree".
- Response rates drop with every extra minute. A survey people can finish while waiting for coffee gets answered.
- People are much more willing to answer the next survey when they saw something change after the last one.