Somehow last January (2019) one of my best friends convinced me to join her on a podcast to chat all things friendship. I was a nervous wreck. It was my first podcast, and while I love to talk, the thought of being able to hear my own voice on replay weirded me out. Turns out, I had a great time and have had the chance to do a few more podcast interviews (but it still weirds me to hear a replay of my own voice).
Around that time, I finally got around to sending out a quick survey to some of my best friends. And then Em mentioned the survey on IG when we were sharing the news about the podcast and suddenly it became the most asked question in my DMs.
I have often joked that the BFF survey is what finally forced me to stop chickening out on starting a blog because I needed a place to send people for more information.
The survey I sent out wasn’t fancy or fussy – just 20 quick questions for my dearest and best friends to answer in a Google Doc. They could complete it from their phone, and I could (because I have the Google Drive App on my phone) have their answers at my fingers tips when I needed to grab a surcee to pop in the mail. Now I know which flowers to grab with their favorite Starbucks order and drop off when they’re going through a really hard time. What color earrings to pick out for a birthday or where to plan a GNO. And beyond surcees, it’s kinda nice to know random trivia about your best friends.
Click here to download a PFD version of the survey!
I used a Google form (*nerd alert I love a good color-coded spreadsheet), but you could just as easily send the list of questions in an email and make your own spreadsheet or keep the answers as a note in your phone.
ARE YOU ALSO AMUSED THAT 70% OF MY FRIENDS ALL HAVE THE SAME FAVORITE FLOWER?
KPW has since sent out a version* of this survey (*you can clearly substitute or adjust as needed for whoever you are sending this out to and what purpose you have for collecting the info) to his team at work in preparation for a staff retreat. A friend on IG said she sent it out to all the girls in her small group and it served as a great conversation starter at their next gathering. Our preschool does a version of this for all the teachers so the room parent has direction when buying birthday and Christmas gifts.
My favorite part of all this is how it gives me the chance to be intentional in the ways I love my people (see: not giving one of my girlfriends chocolate when she much prefers fruity things like Skittles and SPKs). I am, after all, an Enneagram 2w3, so this is right up my people-pleasing, over-achieving alley…
Love,
KNW
PS: I’m planning to resend this survey out to my girlfriends every year or so with different questions/repeat questions because things change over time (see: I didn’t eat chocolate ice cream until I turned 30 and now it’s my second favorite after coffee chip).
Have questions/suggestions for the next round? Leave them below in the comments.
Just sent to my close girlfriends and loving their answers and my new organized Google Doc!
Thank you!!
I did this after seeing it last year too! It was cool to see their responses. Such a good idea!!! Keep celebrating your launch week!
I saved your survey and sent it out in December to friends. I loved reading all the replies. Most of my friends love CFA (one picked Moe’s) and it was perfect when I made little Galentine gifts. Also, for least favorite foods my favorite reply – salads of just iceberg lettuce. You can’t make this up. I actually posted my questions back in January on my blog and will have to link to your post now instead of just your Instagram.
LOVE this!!! Such an awesome way to intentionally love friends well.
Could be fun to also ask what their love languages and enneagrams are – I keep a list on my phone for the important people in my life so I always remember.
I loved this idea when you first posted about it! I sent it to my people earlier this year and loved reading through all of their answers. I went a little crazy in Excel and organized the questions in rows and my people in columns and then condensed all of the columns into a drop down menu so I don’t have to scroll like a crazy person on my phone if I’m out and about. I’ve already used it to confirm a hunch about my childhood best friend’s love of movie popcorn. : ) Great idea!
Yay! It’s the post I’ve been waiting for!! Gift giving is my love language, and I’m so excited to send this out to all my friends. 🥰
Brooke, this sounds like me! Will you share your spreadsheet? If so my email is: amber.perona@gmail.com
Thank you for this wonderful idea! I’ve learned so many things from you, and I think this was the first! So happy you have a blog now!
I had no idea there was such a thing as Google forms! *life changing* So excited to continue to revamp mine and learn to love my people even better. Thanks for sharing KNW!
You have been SUCH an inspiration for me on this subject…. I am Not a naturally talented gift giver, and I so admire the way you pour into your “people” so lovingly. I can’t wait for you to dive into this further to help people like me express this love language in a more effective way!
I want to know some answer about my bestie lol
So cool! We have done this forever for colleagues. It is such a great way to love each other well.
Excited to implement this with a few friends who I think I know but will most likely learn differently! 🤪
I want to make a
Survey for my friend to do