How to Run Seminars and Workshops, 4th Edition

Chapter 19Evaluation and Support

Let's assume that you have diligently studied a proposed problem and have decided that training is, in fact, necessary. It is now time to look at how you are going to evaluate your training. This is by no means an optional step. Without feedback, you are wasting a valuable resource to help assess your training. First, we examine the evaluation options that are available for your trainees.

Evaluating Trainees

When most of us think about student evaluation, often the first word that comes to mind is “test.” Years of schooling condition most of us to fear the dreaded evaluation. In corporate training, thankfully, often a few more options are available. Certainly, written or verbal tests are viable alternatives to evaluate trainees' retention of information. I only have one question: Do you feel written or verbal tests enable you to evaluate trainees' performance? My answer to that question is no; these forms of evaluation usually do not give the presenter a true insight into performance. Corporate training typically is put in place to teach information that trainees need to apply on the job, so there is a bit of a disconnect between written or verbal tests and corporate training objectives.

Another form of evaluation used in corporate training is called “ability testing.” This form of testing is commonly used in more technical situations and requires that trainees merely parrot the skills being taught. Demonstrating a technique on a computer or ...