How do you evaluate and improve your own performance as a trainer or a developer?

I do enjoy SMART goals, but I’ve also always had the following motto when it comes to employee development - people are not data points. Setting clear objectives is key. For example, I’m currently writing a proposal for my executive team to purchase an LMS and performance monitoring system. The two objectives I’m including in the proposal are 1) a decrease in turnover, and 2) an increase in satisfaction on our employee engagement surveys. These may not be solely related to my efforts in establishing development programs, but I can measure them. The employee comments will help us understand, but people are not data points. They have bad days and they have good days, and life happens.

Plan for an “Objectives”conversation. How many times have you sat through objectives/goals, and the facilitator will glaze over or read the lines? This is the time to ask for input and engage. Research & comprise a question that allows them to reflect & share. Help them understand how the subject is relative to their own lives and experiences. For example, trust. Ask them to reflect on a person in their lives that they have unconditional trust for or they believe trusts them unconditionally. What qualities did that person have that created and grew that trust? More than likely, anyone who shares will speak on things that are related to the objectives- Honesty, communication , being helpful, vulnerable… Follow-up with the why and ????.

I concur with the points raised and the valuable feedback received. To ensure the continuous improvement of my performance, I adopt a robust evaluation process. I actively seek feedback from diverse sources, frequently engaging with the audience following each training session. I do this through various assessment methods, including surveys, and interviews which contribute to a comprehensive feedback mechanism. Self-assessment works for me as well. Periodic performance reviews enable me to discern my strengths and areas warranting further development. The insights from these methodologies empower me to address my weaknesses and cultivate a refined skill set, ultimately enhancing my efficacy as a trainer.

It is helpful to reflect and also to listen to feedback with an open mind. If we realize that mentors or leaders are there to truly direct us to the correct path, any feedback provided could be used for our development. I usually look forward to one on ones and anticipate observations made for how I facilitated a class or created material.

Totally agree with all of these plus the feedback from other commenters. Film yourself delivering training if instructor lead. You will instantly see parts of the session that dragged, cues that your learners were lost and you didn't realize it, breakout sessions that weren't as crisp as you'd like or jokes that fell flat. Try to also capture your participants at the same time so you can read their faces and watch their body language. This allows you to watch your own performance and quickly identify areas for improvement.

I always check in with my trainees to make sure the material makes sense, and encourage them to speak up if it doesn't so I can present it another way or go over other examples. I ask for anonymous feedback so I can look for areas to improve my delivery, and keep them engaged. I follow up with departments after trainees have had some practical application to ensure I haven't missed anything or to see if they want any area covered more thoroughly in the future. I also spend time with the people that do the positions I train for so I'm up to date with processes and procedures. Being open to adjusting material and always learning myself is key to passing on solid information and habits.

I would really like to reinforce a recommendation that Adam Spacht made on his insight post "Film yourself delivering training if instructor lead. You will instantly see parts of the session that dragged, cues that your learners were lost and you didn't realize it, breakout sessions that weren't as crisp as you'd like or jokes that fell flat. " Thank you Adam! Give yourself feedback, what did you like that you did? What would you like to do different next time your deliver that content? And why?

Most of those people have insight to working in the field and what's practical and what doesn't. Lessons learned are are past mistakes lol !:

One of the biggest gifts our participants can give us is solid honest feedback. By asking for feedback I managed to improve the post training assessment passing rate from 80% to 99%. Knowing what works and what doesn't for esch classes specific needs makes lessons stick better and can help give answers to all the burning questions that may be distractions.

Analysis of data is a super valuable part of how I have been trying to improve my performance. In an economy where everyone has to prove that they are creating revenue for their organizations, data is where I can show I'm pulling my weight. I have found that if I can improve the participants are doing better at their job, in whatever way, that I can use that as part of my improvement plan.

We have a lot of ways to collect feedback as learning professionals (smile sheets, test scores, engagement metrics, knowledge transfer in the workplace), but it all means nothing if you choose to just sit on the info and not act on it! Make small changes; facilitation is an art that is honed over years of practice. Let people know that you are trying something new, that you want them to fully lean into the process, and that you want to hear about how it went after you're done. This level of transparency/vulnerability will create a top-tier space for learning, and a psychologically safe learning space is an effective learning space!

An easy way to do this is to just track some type of score over time. We use a customer satisfaction score of 1-5 after each module is completed. Then we can just get a monthly average score, and as you make improvements, you should see that score increase. The scores can be tracked by instructor. So individual instructor performance can also be tracked and improved, and more importantly, to not let their performance slip. And instructors like to see this... we all want to do a good job and want to receive that feedback!

Trainers, learning professionals and anyone who works to develop others can receive immense amounts of feedback. However it’s not all created equal. It’s important to always look for objective feedback over subjective. Someone can easily say “I would have done it this way” but that doesn’t mean their way is better (it usually means the opposite). If we focus on feedback that is objective, we can actually plan to develop the skills needed to enhance it. We also need to break it down. We can get pages of feedback, but trying to implement it all at once could hinder our development. Focusing on one piece at a time ensures that skill actually improves and probably faster than if we did too much all at once.

A friendly reminder here as well to identify where you are doing well. Feedback tends to forget about the positive. If you wrote a proposal and it got approved, what about it was strong enough to push the needle? If your training decreases deal cycles by 2 weeks, why was it so effective? Looking at the wins helps you focus on reinforcing what works so more of your work results in positive changes. There are many variables that impact our work. Look at all of them holistically and focus on maintaining what is working while improving what is not.