Town hall survey questions for employees, plus what to ask senior leadership
Ask employees what they want answered before the town hall, poll the room while it runs, and check afterwards whether it was clear, candid and worth the hour. The core 12 is the after-meeting survey; five optional sets and 16 questions for leaders cover the rest.
- 33questions
- 12in the feedback core
- 4 minto answer the core
- 16questions to ask leaders
By Michael Hodge, BSc Psychology Updated September 2026
All 33 town hall survey questions
The core 12 comes ticked, ready to send once the meeting ends. Add a set for the days before, the meeting itself, online viewers or the follow-up. Every item carries its answer scale or options, plus a note on what the result means for the next meeting.
The core 12: after the town hall12 questions
Send these the same day. Nine statements on the message, relevance, the Q&A and trust, one question on the most useful part, and two open questions that hand you the unanswered list and the next change. Sent by themselves, these twelve already make a finished town hall survey.
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I left this town hall knowing our top priorities.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe main job of a town hall. A low score means the headline got lost among the updates.
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Leaders explained why each big decision was made.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreePeople accept a hard call more readily when they hear the reasoning. Low scores point at announcements that gave the what without the why.
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The updates connected to the work my team does.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeCatches news pitched at the boardroom rather than the shop floor. Split it by department to see who was left out.
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Leaders spoke in plain words, not jargon.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeAcronyms hide meaning from anyone outside the team that coined them. One of the quickest things to fix before the next meeting.
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There was enough time for questions.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeEmployees in a UK study of internal communication asked for more discussion time and fewer questions left to the very end.1
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Leaders gave straight answers to hard questions.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeCandor. A dodged question costs more trust than a plain "we do not know yet, and here is when we will".
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I would feel safe asking a question next time.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeAsking in front of the whole company feels risky to many people. A low score is the case for anonymous questions.1
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I believe what leaders said about how we are doing.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe credibility of the results update. When it runs low, people fill the gap with their own guesses.
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This town hall was a good use of my time.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe overall verdict in plain words. Track it from one town hall to the next rather than against other companies.
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Which part of the town hall was most useful to you?
ResultsPlans and prioritiesTeam newsRecognitionQ&AShows what to keep and what to cut short. It is also the count row on the paper tally sheet.
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What question do you still have after this town hall?
Open answerYour list of unanswered questions, in employees' own words. Answer them in writing within a week.
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What one change would make the next town hall better?
Open answerOne change keeps answers short and concrete. Sort them into themes and pick two to try.
Before the town hall5 questions
Open this form three to five working days ahead. The answers set the agenda and fill the Q&A with questions people actually want answered.
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Which topics should leaders cover at the next town hall?
ResultsStrategyUpcoming changesHiringPay and benefitsCustomersHow we workTick all that applyBuild the agenda from the topics most people tick, not the ones that are easiest to present.
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What question would you like a senior leader to answer?
Open answerQuestions sent in ahead can be grouped and researched, so leaders answer them properly instead of improvising on stage.
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If we use your question, how should we handle it?
Read it out with my nameRead it out, no nameAnswer it in writing onlyLets each person choose how visible to be. In group research, people whose comments carried no name were more critical and probing.2
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How much of the meeting should go to questions?
A few minutesAbout a quarterAbout halfMost of itA quick read on the balance people want before the slides are locked.
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How will you join the town hall?
In the roomOnline, liveRecording laterNot sure yetPlan seats, stream capacity and a route for online questions to reach the stage.
Live polls during the meeting5 questions
Short enough to put on screen as one-question polls while the meeting runs. Each takes a few seconds to answer on a phone.
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Which topic should the Q&A start with?
ResultsStrategyChangesJobsCustomersLet the room order the Q&A. Leaders begin with what most people want, and nobody has to raise a hand.
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How do you feel about the quarter ahead?
ExcitedConfidentSteadyUnsureWorriedA mood read in ten seconds. Show the result on screen and speak to it honestly, whichever answer leads.
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I can see how my work connects to these goals.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeAsk it straight after the strategy section. A low score tells leaders to translate the plan into team terms before moving on.
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Was that update clear enough to explain to your team?
YesMostlyNot yetA clarity check after each big section. A lot of "Not yet" is the cue for one more example.
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Did today's Q&A answer your question?
YesPartlyNoI did not ask oneShows how many questions are still open, so leaders can promise written answers before people log off.
Joining online or on the recording4 questions
Add these for people who joined by video or watched later, so remote problems do not disappear inside the room's average.
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I could see and hear everything clearly.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeSound and slides are the first things remote viewers lose. One weak microphone can sink a whole update.
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Asking a question online was as easy as in the room.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeTests whether the chat or question box reached the stage, or sat unread.
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The meeting time worked for my shift or time zone.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeFinds the teams a single time slot leaves out. A low score makes the case for a second session.
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If you watched the recording, how much did you see?
All of itMost of itOnly partsOnly the startRecordings get skimmed. If many people stop early, put the biggest news first.
Follow-up, two to four weeks later4 questions
Send these a few weeks on to check what happened next: answers to open questions, visible changes and the briefing from each manager.
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Open questions from the town hall got answers.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe follow-through check. Written answers to leftover questions are what make people ask again next time.
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Something changed because of what staff raised.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeEvidence that the Q&A leads somewhere. Name the change when you share the results, so people connect it to what they asked.
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My manager went over the town hall with our team.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeManagers turn company news into team news. A low score points at the cascade, not at the town hall itself.
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How often should we hold a town hall?
MonthlyEvery quarterTwice a yearOnce a yearLet the audience set the rhythm, then keep to it so people can plan their questions.
About you (optional)3 questions
For comparing groups only. Drop any question that would single out a small team.
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How did you join this town hall?
In the roomOnline, liveWatched the recordingThe most useful split. People in the room and people on a stream can sit through very different meetings.
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Are you a people manager?
YesNoPrefer not to sayManagers have to pass the news on, so their clarity scores count twice.
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Which part of the business do you work in?
OperationsSales and serviceProduct and techSupport teamsPrefer not to sayShows whether an update landed with some departments and missed others. Rename the options to match your own structure.
16 smart questions to ask leadership at a town hall
For employees getting a question ready, and for organizers who want to seed a quiet Q&A. Each one is specific enough to get a real answer and broad enough to matter to more than one team.
Direction and strategy
- If we could only get one thing right this year, what would it be?
- What are we choosing not to do this year so we can focus?
- Which assumption in this plan worries you most?
- What would make you change course before the next town hall?
Results and customers
- Which number do you check first each week, and why that one?
- Where are we losing customers, and what are we doing about it?
- What did we learn from the target we missed last quarter?
- Which move by a competitor are you watching most closely?
People and ways of working
- How will we decide which teams grow next year?
- What is one thing leaders changed because of employee feedback?
- What does great work look like in a team like mine this year?
- How should we raise a problem that crosses several departments?
About the leadership team
- What was the hardest decision the leadership team made this quarter?
- What are you personally trying to get better at this year?
- What do you wish more employees asked you about?
- How will we know whether the changes announced today are working?
Asking one yourself? Give a single line of context, then the question, and pick a topic that reaches beyond your own desk. Would rather not stand up in front of everyone? Send it through the question form before the meeting (question 14) and choose whether your name is read out.
What to send before, during and after
A town hall gives you three moments to ask. Use the matching set for each one; the same link works in the room and online.
| When | What to send | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 working days before | Before the town hall (questions 13 to 17) | An agenda and a stack of questions to answer on stage |
| As the Q&A opens | The topic vote, question 18, as a live poll | The order the room wants topics in |
| After each big section | Questions 20 and 21 on screen | A clarity check while leaders can still add an example |
| Before people leave | Question 22 | How many questions are still open |
| Same day | Core 12 for everyone; add the online set for remote viewers | Feedback while the meeting is fresh |
| 2 to 4 weeks later | Follow-up (questions 27 to 30) | Whether answers arrived and anything changed |
Holding town halls every quarter? Reuse the core word for word at each one, and the scores will line up meeting to meeting, which is how you tell whether a new format worked.
How to plan a town hall people want to question
Four habits decide whether employees walk out with answers or with the questions they walked in with.
Most helpful ways to hear company news (mean out of 5)
Give the Q&A a real slot in the middle
Employees value the format. In a bank department of 1,259 staff, town hall meetings came third among the most helpful ways of hearing company news, just behind team meetings and email.1 Focus groups in the same study asked for more time for discussion and fewer questions left to the end of the session, when, as one participant put it, "Everyone wants to get out".1 Put the Q&A before the final update, open it with the topic vote (question 18), and save slides for what cannot be said in a sentence.
Collect questions early and let people stay anonymous
Standing up in front of the whole company is a big ask. Fear of speaking out came up as a particular concern for employees in large forums such as town halls,1 and in interviews with 40 employees, the reason given most often for keeping quiet at work was fear of being viewed or labeled negatively.4 Taking names away changes what you hear: in a classic group experiment, people whose contributions were anonymous made more comments and were more critical and probing.2 Open the Before set a few days ahead, let each person choose whether their name is read out (question 15), and keep an anonymous question box open during the meeting.
Close every open question within a week
The questions you run out of time for matter as much as the ones answered live. Post written answers where people already read company news, group the duplicates, and give a date for any answer still being worked out. Openness is what keeps people speaking up: in a study of 3,149 restaurant employees, a manager's openness was more consistently linked to employees raising ideas than transformational leadership was, through a stronger sense that speaking up is safe.3 Where senior managers left comments unanswered, staff in Ruck's study talked of "losing faith really quickly".1 The follow-up set shows whether your answers landed.
Send the feedback survey before the day ends
Answers are sharpest while the meeting is fresh. Share the core 12 within a few hours, in the channel that carried the invitation, and send the online set with the recording link to anyone who watched later. Close it after three working days, then open the next town hall with the headline results and the two things you changed.
Start the meeting with a live poll: put the Q&A topic vote on screen and let the room decide where leaders begin. Any choice or rating question on this page can flip into a live poll for the audience within seconds. For decisions and icebreakers in smaller meetings, see our meeting decision polls.
What the next town hall should fix
Key in the counts for each point on all nine feedback statements. Every statement is phrased so agreement is the healthy reply, which means the stubbiest bars flag what the next town hall should fix.
- 1Blue at the right end of a bar counts the attendees who agreed with that statement; red at the left end counts those who disagreed. The figures at each end give both shares.
- 2Compare the Q&A time statement with the straight-answers statement. If both trail the rest, change the format before you coach the speakers.
- 3Split the results by how people joined. A gap between the room and the stream points at sound, chat or timing.
- 4Take the two weakest statements and the top themes from the open answers, then open the next town hall by saying what changed.
Town hall feedback
Town hall feedback examples, and what each one tells you
The open answers hold most of the useful detail. Below are typical comments from employees after a town hall, each paired with the change it suggests.
| An employee writes | What it tells you | Try next time |
|---|---|---|
| "The Q&A started with five minutes left." | Questions were squeezed out | Move the Q&A before the last update |
| "Great numbers, but what do they mean for my team?" | The update stopped at company level | Ask each leader for one team example |
| "I had a question but did not want to ask it in front of everyone." | Asking in public feels risky | Take anonymous questions before and during |
| "We could not hear the questions from the room on the stream." | Remote viewers missed half the meeting | Repeat each question into the microphone |
| "Too many acronyms in the product section." | Jargon lost part of the audience | Spell terms out the first time |
| "Still waiting for an answer about the office move." | An open question was never closed | Post written answers within a week |
Faced with hundreds of comments? Tag each with a theme, count the themes, and quote two or three comments word for word in your summary so leaders hear employees in their own voice.
Before the day ends: a one-minute check
Short on time after a long meeting? Send these five: the message, the Q&A, candor, the overall verdict and the questions still open. They take about a minute.
- 01I left this town hall knowing our top priorities.
- 02There was enough time for questions.
- 03Leaders gave straight answers to hard questions.
- 04This town hall was a good use of my time.
- 05What question do you still have after this town hall?
For break rooms and the shop floor: a drop-box form
Plenty of attendees watch from a warehouse, a clinic or a store with no laptop in reach. Stack printed forms by the exit, gather them in a closed drop box that HR empties rather than the speakers, then enter the totals alongside the online answers. Letter and A4 both work.
Town hall feedback form
Sheet one carries the feedback core 12, each answer a box you mark by hand. The before, live, online and follow-up sets come next.
Download PDF
Results tally sheet
Add up the paper forms, work out the agree share for each statement, count votes for the most useful part, and pick the two changes for the next meeting.
Download PDFSwap 'How did you like it?' for a question leaders can use
Three habits spoil a lot of town hall surveys. The survey question guide walks through the same fixes for every question type.
How did you like the town hall?
This town hall was a good use of my time.
Liking depends on mood and the speaker's charm. Worth the time is a judgment employees can make and leaders can act on.
Were the presentations clear and engaging?
Leaders spoke in plain words, not jargon.
Which part of the town hall was most useful to you?
Two questions in one. A talk can be perfectly clear and still dull, and a single answer cannot say which.
How inspiring was the CEO's vision for the year?
I left this town hall knowing our top priorities.
The weak version assumes the vision inspired and only asks how much. The better one checks whether the message arrived at all.
Planning a town hall survey: common questions
Short answers for whoever owns the next all-hands.
What questions should a town hall survey ask?
Ask whether people left knowing the priorities, whether the updates touched their own work, whether there was time for questions and straight answers, and whether the hour was worth it. Add one question on the most useful part and two open ones: what is still unanswered and what to change.
When should you send a town hall feedback survey?
The same day, ideally within a few hours. Open the question form three to five working days before the meeting, and send the short follow-up two to four weeks after it to check that open questions were answered.
Should town hall questions be anonymous?
Offer both. Take questions without names before and during the meeting, and let people choose whether a named question is read out. Keep the feedback survey itself anonymous, and hold back any team breakdown small enough to reveal who said what.
What should you do with questions you could not answer live?
Log every one, merge the duplicates, and publish written answers within a week wherever people already read company news. If an answer is not ready, say when it will be. The follow-up set tells you whether employees saw the answers.
Can I use these questions for a community or city town hall?
Yes, with light edits: say residents instead of employees, replace the About you set with neighborhood and age questions, and drop the manager statement from the follow-up. To rank what residents need before the meeting, start with the community needs assessment questions.
Line up the survey for your next all-hands
Send the core 12 after your next town hall, open the question form a few days before it, and print copies for teams who watch from a break room or the shop floor.
