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Adrian Pitt

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Training evaluation

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Is it too much to ask that the learners who attend our training courses give consideration to the blood, sweat and tears (and beers!) that go into designing our programmes?

Do they acknowledge the hours of research we undertake to demonstrate that we “know our stuff”? Do they think about the careful planning and timing that goes into each of the activities? Do they realise we’ve thought long and hard about meeting individual needs, inclusivity and different learning styles?

So, when it comes to them evaluating what we do – with our feedback forms looking for qualitative thoughts and reflection – why is it we get: “The toilets were TOO far away from the training room…” and: “The biscuits were soggy!”??!!

Have you received any weird (yet slightly wonderful!) comments that have made you smile (or sigh with disbelief!) at the end of a training course?

Ade.

8 Responses

  1. Hi Ade, I had feedback that
    Hi Ade, I had feedback that said, the trainer was too happy and too camp!!

    It might be different when you are commercially selling what you do but as an internal L & D person, we’ve moved to only asking questions about to what extent people have learned something new and useful.

    I think, looking at research on the subject of customer, the main thing people care about now is their ‘experience’ and whether we like it or not, that’s what they focus on. They don’t give a sh…..two hoots about the blood sweat and tears you’ve been through. I suppose in a back-handed way, they expect the course to be good so that’s not unexpected to them but when the experience doesn’t match, that’s what they notice. Here endeth the lesson.

    Clive

  2. We deliver a qualification to
    We deliver a qualification to people in the licensed trade that has mandatory contact of 6 hours. These are people that are not used to sitting in a room for any length of time (I do lots of exercises and quizzes to try and break up the day). I always tell people at the beginning of the day that the regulations state that we have to be together for 6 hours and I still get comments that the day is too long.

  3. Hi Sue, read your post with
    Hi Sue, read your post with interest and I’m going to play devil’s advocate here, (I mean no offence honest). I’m going to take the position of attendee and say despite you telling me it has to be 6 hours long, I really feel it’s too long and because you asked me what I thought, I ‘m going to tell you. If a number of people tell you that same thing, perhaps It’s true.

    If It’s mandatory and has to be 6 hours, does it all have to be in one go? Could you have 2 groups per day doing the first 3 hours, morning and afternoon and then come back to do the second 3 hours another time?

    Maybe get some feedback from previous attendees to see if they would have liked that better. Hope this is ok to feedback.

    1. Hi Clive. Sorry for the delay
      Hi Clive. Sorry for the delay in replying to this. For the licensed trade, it’s unlikely they will let people away twice. We have done it that way to satisfy client business needs, but most people see it as a necessary evil and know they have to attend. For the most part feedback is positive and they say that it wasn’t as bad or boring as they anticipated and that they learnt more than they expected. It’s more about getting feedback about thinngs you can change/improve rather than about things that are government regulations and therefore set in stone.

      1. Hi Sue, thanks for the reply.
        Hi Sue, thanks for the reply. Maybe, then, it’s the way that you structure your questions and it may go something like, ‘Aside from the 6 hour running time which is mandatory, what could have been improved’ Something like that.

  4. I once had ‘too much theory’
    I once had ‘too much theory’ and ‘not enough theory’ from different delegates on the same course.

    I’ve also had ‘the cookies were too chocolatey’. They were home baked in a beautiful hotel!! You certainly can’t please all all the people….

  5. Hi Ade. As a second reply to
    Hi Ade. As a second reply to this, the fact that people haven’t thought about the work you have put in could also mean that you are so good and make it look so professional and easy that those thoughts don’t even cross their mind!

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