The Importance Of Feedback In Training Companies

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OK, so some times it might be hard to take, but we all know the truth: If you want to improve at something and be sure that you are performing at your very best, you need to accept some good old-fashioned honest feedback once in a while.      

While training content is crucial, it's nothing without expert delivery, which is why trainers need to be constantly fishing for feedback from those around them, it's the one way they can be sure they are hitting the right spots during delivery and squeezing on those pain-points when imparting knowledge.

This has always been the case, of course, so what's different today?

Training management software is constantly chipping away at the way training companies 'get things done', and one area that has developed so dramatically over the past decade is communication. The way we receive and send information has transformed, and for the savvy businesses out there, this transformation is opening new doors to new levels of feedback.

Put simply use this to your benefit to continuously improve your offering each time you stand up in a classroom or write an elearning programme.

Here are FIVE WAYS that technology can open the floodgates to direct feedback, whether you like it or not.

1. Automated happy sheets

Don't rely on pieces of paper that have been filled out by exhausted delegates after three days of intensive training. Today, technology allows training companies to generate online happy sheets or surveys that delegates can fill out in their own time. It's also hugely important for companies to know that their training investment has made a difference so they can justify every penny invested in training and development.

Check out this infographic which compares automated evaluations with paper happy sheets!

2. Social media

Like it or not, social media channels have their finger on the world's pulse, they can provide instant reaction in a social environment. For this reason, every training company should be using them for feedback. Twitter offers instant feedback, and a great source for testimonials. Ask delegates to tweet and 'mention' (using an '@') the trainer at the end of the programme.

3. eLearning

Move out of the classroom and benefit from instant and effective feedback. Via an online learning programme delegates can be assessed at certain milestones during the course to see how they are developing and getting to grips with the content. If they are falling behind, that is fed back to the trainer and those investing in the training immediately.

4. Digital surveys

Return on investment is crucial, and training only really comes into its own when delegates are back in the workplace putting their learning into practice. This is when the return can be evaluated. So, it makes perfect sense that this is the point in time that the trainers want to be communicating with delegates once again. Emailing out surveys (tick box to answer) will not just earn feedback, it will earn the right kind of feedback. These powerful messages of support can then be used to market the training to other potential clients.

5. LinkedIn groups

While LinkedIn does technically fall under social media, it should be given a special mention when talking about gathering feedback from clients. The group section on LinkedIn is a perfect platform for trainers to create an exclusive zone for delegates to network with others who have experienced the training, offer feedback, and discuss the ways it has helped them to progress. Better still, the groups are free, and you can control who enters. You can also pose questions to the group, such as 'What was the key benefit of coming on this leadership programme', and run surveys across the network.

10 ways to automate whitepaperOther related articles include:

The 27 best training survey questions to start asking your delegates

How To Transform Your Training Evaluation

How Feedback Can Benefit Your Training Company