Companies spend billions of dollars on employee learning and development initiatives every year, but gauging the value of these initiatives can be tough without proper feedback. Gathering such feedback is tricky, though. Employees may be reluctant to offer opinions if they think their answers aren’t anonymous, or they may simply feel that giving feedback is a waste of time.
How can you improve the quality and quantity of feedback from your L&D initiatives? Here are seven ways to improve responses.
Embedding feedback can help gauge interest levels, understanding, and perceived value. There are several ways to embed feedback; some apps allow you to include pop-up screens after online training modules that allow participants to rate the training immediately. During in-person training sessions, you can display a QR code that participants can scan and provide feedback in the session.
Participants should be able to scan a QR code or click a link in a text to go right to a form. If training is online, embed feedback forms after each module so that participants can quickly give feedback for every short section.
If you are embedding feedback throughout the training process, it’s easier to break up questions and ask just two or three at a time. Keep it as short as possible—less than two minutes is ideal.
Make identification optional so that employees feel like they can be candid. You can always provide the option for those who respond to give identifying information, such as name, e-mail, and phone number, but identification shouldn’t be a requirement to give feedback.
Feedback doesn’t all have to be based on subjective opinions. By using apps that measure specific results, you can gauge how much participants are learning and retaining. Some apps designed for microlearning and self-directed courses will embed short evaluations into the training so that participants have to meet a certain threshold before they can move forward.
Your frontline employees may have different preferences than your managers and leaders. Try to offer the right kind of feedback format and questions that will give you the best information. This process may require some experimentation, so don’t be afraid to ask new or different questions at the end of future programs.
Reward those who give feedback in some way. Some feedback apps have gamification built-in, rewarding responders with either virtual or real-world rewards. For lengthy training sessions, consider rewarding responders with a small coffee shop gift card or company swag. Even small toys or tokens can prompt people to respond to a questionnaire.