Why you should remove ‘metadiscourse’ from your surveys

In The Sense of Style Steven Pinker talks about “metadiscourse.”

It’s when writers talk about the act of writing itself.

Using phrases like, “First I will discuss X, then I will move on to Y.”

Metadiscourse is unnecessary guidance.

It burdens readers.

And it appears in surveys all the time.

For instance, I recently took a survey from YouTubeTV that included this question: 

Now, we would like to ask you a few questions about your TV and home entertainment services. Is your household currently subscribed to a paid live TV service?

• Yes, a live TV streaming service (e.g., YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, etc.)
• Yes, a cable live TV service (e.g., Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, etc.)
• Yes, a satellite live TV service (e.g., DirecTV, Dish, etc.)
• No, the household does not have a live TV subscription, but is interested in one
• No, the household does not have a live TV subscription, and is not interested in one

The first sentence – “Now, we would like to ask you a few questions about your TV and home entertainment services” – is a classic example of metadiscourse.

Since respondents already expect to answer questions about these topics, YouTubeTV doesn’t need to state what it “would like to ask.”

Instead, they should cut the metadiscourse and follow a rule of thumb I’ve stapled to my desk: always focus on the topic, never on the act of asking about it.

Need help trimming the fat from your surveys?

Consider booking a Survey Roast with me.

Just click on the link below.

I’d love to help.

Trimming metadiscourse is just one of the many nuanced design tips I provide.

https://www.sammcnerney.com/45-dollar-survey-roast

Cheers,
Sam

PS: There were others….

“Now, we would like to ask you a few questions about your interest in sports.”

“You will be going through an exercise where you can pick the NFL streaming offerings you are most interested in.”