TL;DR — A closed question asked on video still gets a closed answer — "yes", "fine", a shrug. These fifteen rewrites turn common survey questions into open, specific prompts that are much more likely to get a real, usable answer on camera.
- Closed questions don't become open just because the format changed to video.
- "What" and "tell me about" prompts outperform "did you" and "was it" ones.
- Asking for a specific moment or example beats asking for a general opinion.
On this page
Why a closed question wastes the video format
A written survey question like "Was the training useful? Yes/No" forces a short answer by design. Put the same question on video and people still answer "yes" and stop talking, because the question itself didn't ask for anything more. The format changed; the question didn't. Getting real value out of video feedback means rewriting the question, not just recording the old one out loud.
15 closed questions, rewritten as open video prompts
| Closed question | Open, video-friendly rewrite |
|---|---|
| Was the training useful? (Yes/No) | What is one thing from the training you've actually used since? |
| Are you satisfied with your role? (1-5) | What would make your role a 5 out of 5 for you right now? |
| Did you enjoy the event? | What is one moment from the event that stood out to you? |
| Is communication from leadership clear? (Yes/No) | Tell me about a recent decision that was or wasn't explained well. |
| Would you recommend us to a friend? (0-10) | What would you actually say to a friend considering working here? |
| Do you have the tools you need? (Yes/No) | What is one tool or resource that would make your week easier? |
| Was onboarding helpful? (1-5) | What is one thing about onboarding you'd change for the next person? |
| Is your workload manageable? (Yes/No) | Describe what a typical week looks like for you right now. |
| Do you feel recognised for your work? (Yes/No) | Tell me about a time recognition landed well, or didn't. |
| Are meetings effective? (1-5) | What is one meeting you'd redesign or cancel if you could? |
| Is the new product easy to use? (Yes/No) | Walk me through the last time you got stuck using it. |
| Would you buy this again? (Yes/No) | What almost stopped you from buying this? |
| Did the course meet your expectations? (1-5) | What did you expect going in, and what was actually different? |
| Is the office environment comfortable? (Yes/No) | What is one thing about the space that affects how you work? |
| Are you planning to stay for the next year? (Yes/No) | What would need to be true for you to still be here in a year? |
What the rewrites have in common
Each rewrite replaces a yes/no or a number with a request for a specific moment, example or detail. "What would make it a 5" gets further than "rate it 1-5" because it assumes the person has a view and asks them to state it, rather than letting them default to a safe middle score. "Tell me about a time" works for the same reason: it is much harder to answer in one word than "is communication clear".
Keeping the question list short
Open questions take longer to answer than closed ones, so a video survey should ask fewer of them. One or two well-rewritten questions usually beats five, both for response rates and for how much usable detail comes back. If several topics genuinely need covering, consider separate short requests over time rather than one long one. Once the responses are in, a simple coding framework turns a batch of open answers into clear, countable themes.
How to set this up in Whoosh
Write one open prompt from the table above, or adapt your existing survey question using the same pattern, and set it as a campaign. Respondents see the prompt the moment they open the link, so there is no separate briefing needed before they record.
- 1.Pick one closed question you currently ask and find its open equivalent above.
- 2.Create a campaign with that single prompt.
- 3.Share the link and set a short deadline.
- 4.Review clips for specific examples rather than general sentiment.
- 5.Use the coding framework to spot recurring themes across responses.
Frequently asked questions
Can we still get a number out of an open video question?
Not directly, but counting how many responses mention the same theme gives you a rough, directional sense of frequency without needing a rating scale.
Should every survey question be rewritten this way?
Not necessarily — if you genuinely need a comparable number across many respondents, keep that as a rating question and reserve video for the one or two questions where explanation matters more.
What if people still give a short answer to an open question?
A short but specific answer is still more useful than a generic rating, and a brief follow-up prompt can often draw out more detail next time.
How many open questions is too many for one request?
Beyond two or three, completion rates tend to drop noticeably — better to run a second short request later than to pack everything into one.