What are the best ways to ensure your post-event analysis is unbiased?

1 Define clear and relevant goals

Before you start your post-event analysis, you need to have a clear and relevant set of goals that align with your event's purpose and audience. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART). Having SMART goals will help you focus your analysis on the most important outcomes and indicators, and avoid being distracted by irrelevant or subjective data.

2 Use multiple and diverse feedback sources

One of the main sources of bias in post-event analysis is relying on a single or limited feedback source, such as surveys, social media, or testimonials. To get a more comprehensive and balanced view of your event's performance, you should use multiple and diverse feedback sources, such as polls, interviews, focus groups, analytics, and observations. You should also ensure that your feedback sources are representative of your event's audience, and that you reach out to different segments, such as attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff.

3 Apply consistent and transparent criteria

Another source of bias in post-event analysis is applying inconsistent or unclear criteria to evaluate your event's success. To avoid this, you should establish consistent and transparent criteria that reflect your SMART goals and feedback sources. Your criteria should be objective, quantifiable, and comparable, and you should explain how you use them to measure and report your results. You should also avoid cherry-picking or manipulating data to fit your desired narrative, and acknowledge any limitations or uncertainties in your analysis.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?