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.