One page alternative to the workshop evaluation form

Do you use a workshop evaluation form?  This is specifically for all you trainers out there or speakers and coaches who occasionally wear a trainer’s hat.

Some clients want you to use a workshop evaluation form.  Sometime you have specific questions you need to ask to gain the exact feedback you are looking for regarding newly developed content or to accurately measure the happiness of a new client.

If none of these are the case then I have a great idea for you!

Let’s say you are doing a series over several months at a client site.  Or maybe you’ve used this same material over and over but customized it for your client’s industry (customized rather than out-of-the-box).  Either of these situations would be a perfect time to try a different tool.

A single sheet of paper labeled “The workshop would have been easier if…”

Hang it somewhere in your meeting area or put it on a table by itself away from everyone else.  Explain to your participants what the sheet is for…this will be different for all of you.  Some of you would be comfortable enough saying, “I’m using this today because I know everyone gets tired of filling out the same evaluation sheet.”  Others can just leave it open ended, “I put a partial sentence at the top of this sheet of paper and sometime today I’d like you to complete the sentence.”

Either way you introduce the tool you can make it anonymous or you can ask everyone to put their name if they are comfortable.  Try telling them they can do which ever way they are comfortable.  Also mention if the completion of the sentence needs follow up from you then they need to provide their extension, etc.

I think the results of this will be something totally different than what you receive from your standard workshop evaluation form.

Things like “The workshop would be easier if…”

…your examples of “Sensing/Thinking” individuals had been clearer.

…the meeting next door hadn’t been so loud.

…we had more breaks in the afternoon instead of the morning – I’m a morning person!

…the print on the “Keys to Conflict Resolution” handout hadn’t been so small.

…I’d gotten the materials in advance.

Clearly some things people add will be out of your control – not necessarily though if you are glancing at the sheet the entire day and can have the room temperature adjusted.  If it is a two-day workshop then maybe you can change around the breaks a little for the second day.  If you are using an off-site location rather than your client’s office you most definitely can make a trip to the front desk about the noise level!

The other items from the list can be adjusted the next time through the subject matter if you deem it necessary.

The point is…you only have one sheet to review rather than a bunch of evaluation forms!  Now, who wouldn’t love that for the plane ride home?

Nibbling away -

Sundi