A good 360 degree feedback questionnaire asks about specific, observable behavior, uses one rating scale throughout, and adds a few open-ended prompts so raters can explain their scores. Aim for 20 to 30 questions across four categories: leadership, communication, collaboration, and growth. Below you’ll find 28 questions to copy, plus advice on scales and the mistakes that sink most reviews.
Why sweat the wording? Because people decisions cost real money. SHRM’s benchmarking put the average cost per hire at nearly $4,700 (SHRM, 2022). Developing the managers you already have is one way to avoid paying that bill again, if the feedback is specific enough to act on.
Key Takeaways
- Write one observable behavior per question.
- Keep the survey to 15 to 20 minutes, per Zenger Folkman (2023).
- A meta-analysis of 24 studies found gains from 360 feedback are generally small (Smither, London & Reilly, 2005).
- Follow-up, goals, and action decide who improves.
What Makes a 360 Degree Feedback Questionnaire Work?
A strong question describes something a colleague could actually have seen. “Is a good communicator?” invites a vague impression. “Explains the reasoning behind decisions” invites a judgement based on real meetings and conversations. Four rules cover most of the quality gap between good and useless questions.
- One behavior per question. “Listens and responds quickly” is two questions. If a rater thinks someone listens well but replies slowly, they can’t answer honestly.
- Observable, not personality-based. Ask about what the person does, not who they are.
- Neutral wording. Avoid leading phrasing such as “How well does Sam handle pressure?” when a flat statement works better.
- Relevant to the rater. A peer can’t judge budget decisions, and a direct report can’t judge strategy. Show each rater group only the questions they can answer.
28 Example Questions for Your 360 Degree Feedback Questionnaire
The 28 questions below split into 22 rating items, marked (R), and 6 open-ended prompts, marked (O). Use the same wording for every rater group, changing only “this person” to “you” in the self-assessment. You don’t need all six open-ended prompts. Pick three to five.
Leadership
1 (R) Sets clear goals and priorities for the team.
2 (R) Makes decisions in a timely way, even with incomplete information.
3 (R) Takes responsibility when things go wrong rather than assigning blame.
4 (R) Delegates work in a way that matches people’s skills and development.
5 (R) Treats people consistently and fairly, regardless of seniority.
6 (R) Stays calm and constructive when plans change at short notice.
7 (O) What is one thing this person does as a leader that you would like to see more of?
Communication
8 (R) Explains the reasoning behind decisions, not just the decision itself.
9 (R) Listens without interrupting and checks understanding before responding.
10 (R) Gives feedback that is specific enough to act on.
11 (R) Shares information early enough for others to plan their work.
12 (R) Adapts communication style to the audience, whether in writing, in meetings, or one to one.
13 (R) Raises disagreement openly and respectfully rather than in side conversations.
14 (O) Describe a recent interaction where this person communicated especially well, or where communication could have been clearer.
Collaboration
15 (R) Follows through on commitments made to colleagues.
16 (R) Shares credit for successes with the people who contributed.
17 (R) Works effectively with people outside their own team or department.
18 (R) Is open to ideas that differ from their own.
19 (R) Helps resolve conflict rather than avoiding it or escalating it.
20 (R) Makes it easy for others to ask for help.
21 (O) What would make this person easier to work with?
Growth areas
22 (R) Asks for feedback and responds to it without defensiveness.
23 (R) Learns from mistakes and changes their approach.
24 (R) Takes on stretch tasks that build new skills.
25 (R) Develops the skills of the people around them.
26 (O) What is the single most valuable change this person could make over the next six months?
27 (O) Which strength should this person rely on more?
28 (O) Is there anything else you want this person to know that the questions above did not cover?
Adapt the wording to the role. For an individual contributor, swap the leadership block for questions on ownership, quality of work, and reliability. For a manager, add one or two items on how well they coach and run team meetings.
Should a 360 Questionnaire Use Rating Scales or Open-Ended Questions?
Use both, and keep the whole survey to 15 to 20 minutes, the length Zenger Folkman says organizations that run 360s well aim for (Zenger Folkman, 2023). Rating scales show patterns across raters, while open-ended answers explain them. One consistent scale and a few open prompts usually keep 20 to 30 questions inside that window.
Rating scale questions
Open-ended questions
Best for
Spotting patterns and gaps between self and others
Understanding the reasons and getting examples
Easy to compare
Yes, across raters and over time
No, needs reading and coding
Rater effort
Low
Higher
Main risk
Everyone scores 4 out of 5
Vague or unkind comments
Choose the scale before you write the questions. A five-point agreement scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) suits statements like those above. A frequency scale (never, rarely, sometimes, often, always) suits behaviors. Add a “not observed” option so raters aren’t forced to guess, and keep the scale identical across the whole form.
Treat “not observed” as data, not a dodge. A cluster of those answers on one question usually means you’ve shown it to the wrong rater group, such as asking direct reports about budget decisions. In that case the fix lives in the form, not in the person being reviewed.
Keep open-ended questions forward-looking. “What should this person start, stop, or continue?” produces more useful answers than “What are their weaknesses?” Use three to five prompts in total, and put them after the rating items so raters have already done the thinking.
Does 360 Feedback Actually Work?
Sometimes, and mostly under certain conditions. A meta-analysis of 24 longitudinal studies found that improvement after multisource feedback is generally small. The authors’ theoretical model suggests gains are most likely when recipients saw a need to change, believed change was feasible, set goals, and took action (Smither, London & Reilly, Personnel Psychology, 2005).
Add a positive feedback orientation and feedback that signals change is needed, and you have the authors’ full model. Some recipients do improve. The useful question is which ones.
Here’s our reading of the model, not the authors’ finding: a well-built form can nudge some of those conditions. Question 26 asks for the single most valuable change over six months, which seeds a goal. Question 27 names a strength to rely on, which makes change feel feasible. The closing prompts aren’t an afterthought, so keep them even when you trim the rest.
So a questionnaire alone changes little. The debrief, a short development plan, and a check-in a few months later matter more than any single item. Does that make wording irrelevant? No. Vague questions produce vague feedback, and nobody can set a goal from that.
What Pitfalls Ruin a 360 Degree Feedback Questionnaire?
Experts quoted by SHRM say 360s are most effective as a development tool, not a rating tool, and warn that evaluative use can be destructive. The biggest mistake is using results to decide pay or promotion, because raters may then give misleading input or trade favors.
Too few raters. Anonymity breaks down when there are only one or two peers. Aim for at least three raters per group and combine responses before showing them.
Asking raters who barely know the person. Choose people who have worked closely with the subject for several months.
Double-barreled and vague questions. Review every question against the one-behavior rule above.
Skipping the debrief. Hand the report to the person with a trained manager or HR contact, not as a PDF in an inbox.
No explanation up front. Tell everyone why the review is happening, who will see the results, and what happens next.
How Can You Run a 360 Without Spreadsheet Chaos?
You can run a 360 on spreadsheets and a survey tool, but collating results by hand takes time and weakens confidentiality. A platform with a custom form builder keeps the questions, responses, and review cycle in one place.
If you’d rather skip the spreadsheet, the custom form builder in HR Partner lets small and mid-sized teams build a 360 questionnaire and run it alongside their performance review process. One customer, Tom Ray of CIM Enviro, calls the platform “really intuitive to use” in a testimonial on the vendor’s site.
Whatever tool you choose, check three things before launch: who sees raw comments, how scores are grouped to protect anonymity, and whether you can reuse the form for the next cycle.
FAQ
How many questions should a 360 feedback form have?
Between 20 and 30 is a sensible range. Zenger Folkman recommends a survey that takes raters 15 to 20 minutes, and forms much past 30 questions tend to invite fatigue and rushed answers. Fewer than 15 rarely gives enough detail to show patterns across rater groups.
How many people should give 360 feedback?
Typically 8 to 12 raters in total: the manager, three to five peers, and three to five direct reports where relevant. Make sure each group has at least three people so no one can be identified.
Should 360 feedback be anonymous?
Usually yes, except for the manager’s ratings. Anonymity encourages candor, but it only works if rater groups are large enough and comments are edited to remove identifying details. Tell raters up front who will read the raw comments.
What is the difference between a 360 questionnaire and a performance review?
A performance review measures results against goals, usually through the manager. A 360 collects perceptions of behavior from many people. Experts quoted by SHRM say it works best for development rather than for deciding pay, so keep the two processes separate.
How often should you run a 360 review?
Once a year is common. Smither, London, and Reilly’s model suggests improvement depends on recipients setting goals and acting on feedback, so leave enough time between cycles for people to act on the last round’s results.
What Should You Do Next?
Start small. Pick the rating items that fit the role, add three to five open-ended prompts, and brief your raters. Then hold the debrief and agree one development goal. Goals and action drive improvement, so plan those steps before you send the form.
