Tips:

• Review the questionnaire based on plain language principles
• Limit the survey to essential information
• Ask the easiest questions first
• Opt for closed-ended questions
• Ask concrete questions (Who? What?) and avoid more abstract or open-ended questions (Why?)
• Define and repeat essential words
• Check regularly to ensure comprehension
• Use simplified scales and avoid multiple-choice questions

Tips:

• Show empathy:
  • speak in simple terms
  • encourage criticism
  • use the respondent’s words
  • attribute as much importance to what is not understood as to what is understood
• Use a reassuring tone
• Reiterate the fact that the evaluation deals with the issue or document
• Be reassuring vis-à-vis confidentiality and anonymity