How do you measure and communicate the return on investment of your learning and development efforts?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before beginning any learning and development program, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the desired outcomes and how they will be measured. Depending on the objectives, different metrics can be used to assess the program's effectiveness. For instance, knowledge and skills can be evaluated through pre- and post-tests, quizzes, surveys, or self-assessments. Additionally, behavior and performance can be monitored through observation, feedback, coaching, or performance reviews. Finally, business results can be measured through indicators such as sales, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, retention, or profitability to determine the program's impact on organizational goals.

2 Choose your evaluation method

Once you have defined your goals and metrics, you need to choose an appropriate evaluation method to collect and analyze your data. Kirkpatrick's four-level model is a widely used framework that evaluates the program at four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. It helps you to assess the learners' satisfaction, learning outcomes, behavior changes, and business impact of your program. Phillips' ROI model is an extension of Kirkpatrick's model that adds a fifth level: return on investment. It helps you to calculate the monetary value of your program by comparing the benefits and costs. Brinkerhoff's success case method is a qualitative method that identifies the most and least successful cases of your program and explores the factors that influenced their outcomes. This method can provide valuable insights into the best practices and challenges of your program and how to improve it.

4 Communicate your results and recommendations

The final step of your evaluation process is to communicate your results and recommendations to your learners, stakeholders, and decision-makers. To do this, you need to present your data in a clear, concise, and compelling way that demonstrates the value and impact of your program. You can use different formats and channels to communicate your results and recommendations, such as reports and dashboards, presentations and webinars, and stories and testimonials. For example, you can use tools such as Word, PowerPoint, Prezi, Zoom, video, audio, or social media to create and share your reports, presentations, and stories.