Why Asking the Right Question Gets You Results
- dnsmith2
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
A Practical Guide to Building Questions That Truly Work
When it comes to understanding your people and improving workplace culture, it’s not enough to simply ask for feedback.
The results you get depend entirely on the questions you ask.
At BrigtmindIQ, we design workplace surveys and feedback tools for organisations across Australia.Through years of experience, we’ve developed a proven approach for building better questions — ones that open conversations, build trust, and drive real change.
Today, we’re sharing that approach with you — so you can start designing powerful, purposeful questions for your own organisation.
How to Design Survey Questions That Actually Get Results
Step 1: Understand the Environment First
Before you write a single question, step back and look at your organisation’s environment:
What is the nature of your work? (Frontline, remote, high-pressure, highly structured?)
What external pressures are your people facing? (Change, growth, resource constraints?)
What internal challenges might be shaping their experience? (Leadership changes, restructures, policy shifts?)
Why this matters: Questions only resonate when they reflect the real world your people are living in today — not a theoretical or idealised version.
Tip: Interview a few employees informally first. Listen to how they describe the organisation in their own words.
Step 2: Walk in Your People's Shoes
Once you understand the environment, ask yourself:
If I were in their role today, what would I be experiencing?
What frustrations, concerns, or hopes might I have?
How would I feel about leadership, change, communication, workload?
Why this matters:Good survey design starts with empathy.When you see the workplace through their eyes, you can frame questions that feel real, safe, and meaningful to answer.
Tip: Avoid jumping straight into "what leadership wants to know." Focus first on "what employees experience every day."
Step 3: Speak Their Language
The best questions sound natural — like they came from someone who understands the work, not from a corporate textbook.
Use the language your people use: "team," "crew," "patients," "customers," "projects" — whatever fits naturally.
Keep sentences simple, direct, and clear.
Avoid jargon, management-speak, and overly formal phrases.
Why this matters: When people hear familiar language, they relax. When the language feels foreign or formal, they become cautious — and their answers become guarded.
Tip: Read your questions out loud. If they wouldn’t sound right in a normal conversation, simplify them.
Step 4: Focus Each Question on a Purpose
Every question you include should have a clear purpose.Ask yourself:
What decision would this question help inform?
What action would this question help guide?
If you can’t answer that, reconsider whether the question needs to be there at all.
Why this matters:Surveys that feel random or irrelevant lose trust quickly.Surveys where every question clearly connects to real action build credibility.
Tip: Design with action in mind — not just measurement.
Step 5: Balance Curiosity and Care
It's important to ask questions that surface real issues — but it’s equally important to ask them in a way that feels safe.
Frame questions in a constructive, open tone.
Avoid "gotcha" or blame-based language.
Focus on improvement and possibilities, not fault-finding.
Why this matters:Your goal is to create a culture of honesty and learning — not fear.
Tip: Wherever possible, give employees opportunities to offer suggestions for improvement, not just rate or criticise.
Building Better Surveys Builds Better Culture
The way you ask shows the way you lead.
When your questions show care, understanding, and purpose, your people will answer with honesty — and real change becomes possible.
Building great survey questions isn’t complicated — but it does require thought, empathy, and a willingness to see the workplace through your people’s eyes.
And when you do, the results can transform not just your data — but your entire culture.
Want Support Building Your Next Workplace Survey?
At BrightmindIQ, we specialise in helping organisations design better surveys and better questions — ones that reflect their people, their industry, and their unique environment.
If you’d like a fresh set of expert eyes, or a little help shaping your next culture survey, we’re here when you’re ready.
A better culture starts with better listening.
And better listening starts with better questions.
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