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A sociogram is a visual representation used for analyzing social relations. It captures the structure and patterns of interaction between individual group members and presents this information graphically, often as a chart.

As a result, sociograms highlight the not-so-obvious aspects of a group’s workings. They make it easy for you to understand how individuals relate to each other in a group.

In simple terms, we can define a sociogram as a visual map of an individual's interpersonal relationships in a group setup. This is the most common definition in the field of sociometry (more about the sociometry meaning on this page).

However, like many other concepts, the sociogram meaning changes depending on how the technique is applied.

For instance, teachers value the importance of sociometry in the classroom. It helps them understand group dynamics and the change in interpersonal relationships over time.

That is different from marketing experts or business leaders. They may view sociograms as tools to uncover sociometric status for individuals and, in turn, improve internal and external business processes.

It is also different for other professionals like psychologists and tutors.

In short, a sociogram can mean something different, depending on your situation.

To make an effective sociogram, determine the elements you seek to measure with the social network diagram first. It will help you identify the best criteria to follow for the rest of the process.

With clear criteria in mind, you can learn how to make a sociogram manually. The manual process is more time-consuming and better suited to small groups in a controlled social setting.

Alternatively, you can do it automatically using a sociogram app, which makes the process relatively straightforward.

If you choose the manual route, you will need a pen and paper to draw the social connections based on your observations.

You can also manually create social charts by analyzing results from a sociometric questionnaire participants fill out.

Our sociometric techniques methods page has more tips on measuring, collecting, and interpreting your data.

If you go this route, you must know how to properly use a sociogram's components to create accurate layouts of all participants’ social links.

Check our sociogram template to learn more about how all the components come together.

Overall, we recommend using online sociogram maker tools. They are fast, mostly hands-free, and provide more accurate information.

The easiest way to find a free sociogram creator is to subscribe to Sometics, where you can access a free subscription.

Our sociogram creator, also known as a sociogram generator, is easy to navigate and will help you interpret your data

With a free subscription, you will enjoy additional services most other tools don’t provide. For instance, you can do the following in a few clicks:

• Customize tests to your situation
• Create a socio-matrix to visualize group relationships
• Generate an optimal group floor plan to improve your group’s social climate…and more.

Follow our demo to experience what we’re talking about first-hand.

We’ve dedicated an entire page to discussing various examples of sociograms. Studying these examples is essential for understanding the different types of visual representations you can produce and how social networking diagrams can best work for you.