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- Steal These Thoughts 21.03.23 | How To Get Useful Feedback And Measure Skill Development
Steal These Thoughts 21.03.23 | How To Get Useful Feedback And Measure Skill Development
How To Get Useful Feedback And Measure Skill Development
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The Big Thought
Most feedback from L&D courses is useless.
Don’t believe me?
Think about the common questions on post-course surveys.
Classics include 👇
> Were you happy with the course?
> Was the pace ok?
> Did the coach entertain you?
I’m taking the piss here a bit, but you get my drift.
Questions like this provide little use in knowing what works and what doesn’t.So, how can we do better?
Read on my friend.
Learning from others
Before I break down my approach, let's see what others are doing.The Emertius team suggest that you have many ways to measure skills, and that's true, you do.
They also share a handy 4-step process on best practice skills assessments which you might want to check out.Now, this doesn't sit exclusively in the realm of getting useful feedback from learning experiences, but it certainly has a part to play.Yes, we want to know if the experiences were worth the blood, sweat and tears you put into them.Yet, we need to know they enabled skills development too.One study found that the best way to measure skill development is to combine self-assessment and manager assessment.Using specific and measurable performance indicators, such as improved productivity or better customer satisfaction, can also help track progress.Another helpful tool is using pre-and post-training assessments to see what employees have learned and where they still need help.This study closely aligns with the way I've approached this. You can steal that framework below 👇.
Introducing B.A.R
Let’s keep this simple and tactical.We want to gather 3 pieces of information to construct a useful piece of feedback.
Before | After | Recommend1/ What was the knowledge level and/or skill confidence before the experience?
2/ What was the knowledge level and/or skill confidence after the experience?
3/ Would they recommend this experience to others? And, if so, why?
These 3 answers will give you the most useful feedback to take action.
The bonus is they’re easy to answer (think of short attention spans here people) and act as a testimonial you can share with future potential participants.Don’t overcomplicate this.Cut through the noise, get to the stuff that matters and make improvements based on this data.You’re welcome.FYI, I adapted this idea from SEO expert Brian Dean. Another example of a technique from the marketing playbook that helps the L&D community.
Content that has caught my attention and might interest you too.
The report by the social enterprise Skills Builder Partnership in liaison with the CIPD, KPMG and Edge Foundation unpacked how the lack of soft skills is holding too many of us back.Personally, I loathe the word 'soft skills' I prefer 'human skills'. But, screw the terminology debate. This is a big issue.
If you're curious, here's two ways I can help you 👇
1/ My L&D toolkit stack with 20 free tools.2/ Get 7 tools, templates and frameworks to design your career in my How To Win In The Careerverse playbook. Available on Amazon too.Please do share your thoughts with me on these pieces or anything I share on the Twitterverse and LinkedIn. Chat to you soon.
“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.” Jean Luc Picard
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