Training evaluation is a crucial step to measure the effectiveness and impact of your employee training programs. But how do you get everyone involved in the process, from the trainers to the trainees to the managers? Here are some tips to create a culture of feedback and learning in your organization.
Before you design and deliver any training program, you need to define the learning objectives, the expected outcomes, and the evaluation criteria. Communicate these goals and expectations to all the stakeholders, including the trainers, the trainees, and the managers. Explain why the training is important, how it aligns with the organizational strategy, and how it will be assessed. This way, everyone will understand the purpose and value of the training evaluation, and will be more likely to participate and cooperate.
Communicating the goals, expectations, and rules of evaluation are immensely critical to the success of overall training and training evaluation. For instance, an in-person session is being held to describe a certain process but the learners are not aware that they would have to go back and perform this process on their own, which in turn is also a measure of their evaluation. A simple test is taken after the session and they think, that's it. But that's not it. Also the objectives say "Describe" which they can but what about "Perform" which they can't.
There are different methods and tools to evaluate training, depending on the level and type of data you want to collect. For example, you can use surveys, quizzes, interviews, observations, tests, or performance indicators. You can also use different models, such as Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation, or Brinkerhoff's success case method. Choose the methods and tools that suit your goals, your budget, your time frame, and your audience. Make sure they are reliable, valid, and easy to use. Provide clear instructions and guidance on how to use them, and offer support and feedback along the way.
Evaluation methods have to be always chosen from a macro perspective because there is no bandwidth to evaluate everyone individually. However, we cannot ignore the fact that everyone may just be at different points on the learning curve. The key is to have a middle ground. Periodic evaluations to check retention, monitoring consistency of performance of the learners, and ability to identify learners who are repeatedly low performers must be key facets in designing a comprehensive evaluation strategy. Choosing evaluation methods and going with it is not a sufficient and sustainable way if there is no strategy in place.
One way to get everyone involved in training evaluation is to involve them in the design and delivery of the training program. For example, you can ask the trainers to co-create the content and the activities, based on their expertise and experience. You can ask the trainees to share their needs, preferences, and feedback, before, during, and after the training. You can ask the managers to sponsor and support the training, and to provide resources and recognition. By involving everyone in the design and delivery, you can increase their engagement, ownership, and accountability for the training evaluation.
Another way to get everyone involved in training evaluation is to make it timely and relevant. For example, you can conduct the evaluation as soon as possible after the training, to capture the immediate reactions and learning outcomes. You can also follow up after a period of time, to measure the retention and transfer of learning, and the impact on performance and results. You can also make the evaluation relevant, by linking it to the real-world challenges and opportunities that the trainees face in their work. By making it timely and relevant, you can enhance the validity and usefulness of the evaluation data.
Finally, you can get everyone involved in training evaluation by sharing and acting on the results. For example, you can share the results with the trainers, the trainees, and the managers, in a clear and constructive way. You can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the training program, the achievements and gaps in learning outcomes, and the opportunities and recommendations for improvement. You can also act on the results, by implementing changes and adjustments to the training program, based on the feedback and evidence. You can also celebrate and reward the successes and achievements of the training program, and recognize the contributions and efforts of everyone involved. By sharing and acting on the results, you can demonstrate the value and impact of the training evaluation, and foster a culture of feedback and learning in your organization.
My former company worked with experts at MIT to help us develop a global training program that focused on developing the competency of the frontline operational leaders. What I learned from the experts was: -we asked frontline leaders globally to tell us what would help them most -we ran trg pilots with feedback after each module -we incorporated their feedback then ran evaluations after each trg. Key learnings - must use facilitators who previously held frontline roles, ensured they were competent as a facilitator, used evaluation to adjust the modules and help improve the facilitators skills of the subject matter