Practical questions, the ones that work
These produce a buyable answer every time. Hot drink order and how you take it. Shop or brand you would happily get a voucher for. Something small you always run out of. A size, if clothing or gloves are in scope. Sweet or savoury. A colour you wear and a colour you never wear.
The reason they work is that each one has a short, specific answer. Nobody writes an essay, and nobody writes nothing.
Taste questions, use two or three
Last thing you bought for yourself. Something you would like more of. A thing you keep meaning to replace. What you would do with a free afternoon. These are more interesting to read and harder to act on, so two or three is the right number in a six question form.
Avoid asking about hobbies and interests directly. It reads as a job application and produces the word reading.
Avoid questions, always include one
Anything you cannot eat, drink or use. Something you already have plenty of. A gift you would quietly rather not receive. One of these in every form, because the information it gives is worth more than any positive answer on the page.
Fun questions, carefully
Favourite festive film, best Christmas food, a tradition you refuse to give up. They make the form pleasant to fill in and occasionally give a buyer an idea. They are also where forms go wrong, because a group that sees four jokey questions assumes the whole thing is a joke and stops answering the useful ones properly.
Questions
- What are the best Secret Santa questions?
- Practical ones with short specific answers: hot drink order, a shop you would take a voucher for, something you always run out of, sweet or savoury, a size, and one thing you cannot eat or use.
- How many questions should I use?
- Six to twelve. Within that, aim for about four practical questions, two about taste, one about what to avoid and at most one fun question.
- Which questions should I avoid asking?
- Open ones. Hobbies, interests and what do you like all produce single word answers that tell a buyer nothing. Ask about a specific purchase, shop or habit instead.
- Can I print this question list?
- Yes, free, as a reference sheet grouped by question type. You can also pick questions here and build them straight into a printable questionnaire.