workshop presentation feedback

• Online Coaching

Workshop Feedback Forms: 11 Best Samples and Questions

Want to run more engaging, effective workshops, but don’t know where to start?

A well-designed workshop feedback form is essential to learning about what makes your programs work and how they can be improved. What’s more, they’re quick to put together and can lead to brilliant testimonials that look wonderful on your website or CV.

If you’re ready to create and send online workshop feedback forms for your coaching, therapy, or training programs , you can start today using this 1 dollar trial of Quenza’s digital tools .

Writing Workshop Feedback Forms: 3 Templates

When it comes to your audience, opinions matter. But while they may have many thoughts about their experience in your workshop, it often takes a little nudge before you can really use those insights!

Collecting participant feedback is a brilliant way to spot patterns, potential improvements, and identify inadequacies in your program or delivery.

A great feedback form makes that quick and simple, but how do you create one?

Feedback Forms For Your Training Workshop

As with any form, a really great feedback form is one that will yield useful insights about the different elements of your workshop.

If you’re delivering training as a leader , instructor, coach, or therapist, there are a few aspects worth exploring.

Consider the following elements, as a start:

• Instruction or teaching: How satisfied are your participants with your teaching style? How could it be improved?
• Facilitation (in group settings such as team coaching ) : How effectively did you facilitate the workshop? Did participants feel included?
• Materials or content: Were your resources/materials helpful? Were they too easy, too hard, or just right?
• Program design: Did the materials flow in a logical order? Were there a good number of steps? Was each step delivered at an appropriate interval?
• Class/cohort: Was the cohort a good size for participants? Did they have a chance to help each other?
• Relationship/communication: Did you answer questions effectively?
• Overall experience: How satisfied were they overall? Would they recommend your workshop to their colleagues or peers?

These different aspects can all be explored by dividing your form into sections. But first, you’ll need to tailor your questions to your particular audience and goals.

If you prefer to work with a ready-made layout, there are great templates in Quenza’s Expansion Library that you can modify, to name a few:

• End of Therapy Evaluation
• Coach Evaluation Form
• Effectiveness of Session Evaluation

7 Sample Questions You Can Include

Just as there are no ‘right answers’ on a feedback form, there aren’t any magic questions you should be asking.

The best way to develop items for your form is by working backward.

Think about the most constructive information you could have at hand when you sit down to improve your workshop, and design neutral questions that help you capture those insights.

If you’re looking for some guidance, you might start by tweaking these workshop feedback form sample questions: [1]

• What is your overall assessment of the event? (on a Likert scale of 1-5, insufficient to excellent)
• Did the workshop achieve the program objectives? (Yes/No)
• Which topics or aspects of the workshop did you find most interesting or useful? (You can experiment with multiple-choice/drop-down menu formats using Quenza’s Activity Builder)
• How do you think the workshop could have been made more effective?

A few more examples can be found in Quenza’s Effectiveness of Session Evaluation Expansion, pictured below.

While designed for post-session evaluations in one-on-one, this customizable template includes items that can easily be modified to assess your workshop or learning module :

• I felt heard, understood, and respected. (Agree = 1, Strongly Disagree = 5)
• We worked on and talked about what I wanted to work on and talk about.
• The coach’s approach is a good fit for me.

Best Way To Make and Send Feedback Forms

Once you’ve decided on the questions you’d like to ask, the next step is to create a survey or questionnaire that participants will want to fill out.

Using Quenza’s Activity Builder, you can put together a form by titling and saving a blank template.

Then, you can create sections for your various fields using Page Breaks and drag various fields from the right-hand menu into your template.

Among other fields, tour Activity Builder contains everything you need to create:

• Text boxes for questions
• Short- or long-answer items
• Drop-down menus
• Multiple-choice questions
• Checkboxes, and
• Linear scales.

As we’ll see in a second, it’s not a bad idea to personalize your form by uploading your custom logo and multimedia!

Sending Your Forms To Participants

If you’re running a group workshop using Quenza Groups , you can send your forms as an Activity to all your participants at once.

This is a fast, convenient way to collect opinions from everyone, and also helps you explore the effect of any changes you make from one workshop to the next.

You can do this either by sending your form as a standalone activity, or inserting it into a Pathway as a final step, as shown below.

Asking For Evaluation with Quenza: An Example

Not sure how to ask for feedback? Here are a few helpful tips:

• It’s always worth giving your clients a little background into why you’re asking for their thoughts. Quenza Activities always come with a pre-made email template for your participants–this is a great place to share that you’re trying to improve your solutions.
• Your participants don’t have to fill out your form. This means you’ll want to create a form that’s as concise as possible, while capturing everything you need to enhance your workshop.
• Deliver your form as soon as possible. This way, you can collect their insights while they’re top-of-mind, giving you plenty of time to plan or implement your improvements.
• Make your form engaging. Short and sweet is good, but you can also improve completion rates by personalizing your form with images, video, and other multimedia. Get creative, and you may get more feedback!

Analyzing Your Feedback Report

So you’ve shared your form. Now what?

By clicking into the Activities tab of your Quenza Groups as shown below, you can get an instant overview of your cohort’s collective progress on your feedback form, as well as other Activities you’ve shared.

You can also check how each participant is progressing by generating a feedback report.

When you click the ‘+’ sign beside your feedback form, you’ll be able to see submission statistics as shown here.

This analysis reveals:

• The completion status of your feedback form (% of participants who have c ompleted, p artially completed, and not yet submitted your survey)
• Results sharing (% of participants who chose to share their completed form with you)
• The gender breakdown of your respondents
• Age statistics of the participants who completed your form.

Not only can you generate and save a PDF copy of your group results, but you can also drill down to the statistics for each question by clicking “View Responses” beside each item:

This is a good way to analyze your scores and identify improvements to your solutions, style, or sessions.

Designing Your Virtual Workshop with Quenza

On top of the ability to share forms and gather feedback, Quenza has everything you need to design your virtual workshop from scratch.

Or if you prefer to save time, you can easily modify pre-made activities, exercises, assessments, and forms using templates from Quenza’s Expansion Library.

Depending on the kind of workshop you’re hoping to run, you might find the following step-by-step guides useful:

• How To Create An Online Training Program: Your Ultimate Guide
• How To Create An Online Course With The Quenza Platform
• How To Develop A Training Program For Employees
• A Guide to Online Tutoring: Best Platform and Resources
• Training Others In Emotional Intelligence: Your Ultimate Guide

10 Handy Online Tools in Quenza

The beauty of Quenza is that it is uniquely designed to enhance the way you train, coach, teach, or develop others.

That means it comes fully equipped with a suite of tools that help you promote your coach branding , experiment with new offers, and more.

Here’s what Quenza includes:

• An Activity Builder – for creating customized workshop content like quizzes, exercises, homework, and microlearnings/lecturettes with your own multimedia
• Pathway Tools – that you can use to assemble your content into programs (and schedule it to ‘drip-feed’ materials to your learners)
• Live results tracking – so you can stay on top of progress, performance, and compliance in real-time
• Group coaching tools – with Quenza Groups , you can design your workshop and deliver it to cohorts of up to 50 participants
• Secure, private storage and communications (Quenza is fully HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant, and can even be used to store PHI)
• Note-taking and documentation features – for journals, diaries, or your private workshop notes
• File storage and sharing – Quenza Files is an easy way to manage and send documents, spreadsheets, images, videos, PDFs, and more with workshop members
• A white label feature – so you can upload your own or your organization’s logo to all workshop materials
• Live chat – with groups and teams through the Quenza Client App, as pictured above
• An Expansion Library – full of personalizable Activity templates that you can send alone or as part of your workshop programs.

Integrating Feedback into Future Workshop Plans

To ensure that your workshops continually improve and meet the evolving needs of your participants, it’s crucial to integrate the feedback you receive into your future planning.

Start by analyzing the feedback data to identify common themes and specific areas of improvement. For instance, if multiple participants mention that the workshop pace was too fast, consider adjusting your schedule to allow more time for key activities or discussions.

Furthermore, make a habit of discussing feedback with your team or co-facilitators to brainstorm actionable changes. This collaborative approach not only fosters a culture of continuous improvement but also helps in generating innovative solutions to recurring issues.

Additionally, communicating to participants how their feedback has influenced your workshop design can significantly enhance their sense of involvement and satisfaction. This transparency not only builds trust but also encourages more honest and constructive feedback in the future.

By systematically incorporating feedback into your planning process, you can ensure that each workshop is better than the last, ultimately leading to more effective and engaging learning experiences.

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Feedback Collection

In today’s digital age, leveraging technology to collect workshop feedback can streamline the process and yield more insightful data.

Utilizing online survey tools, such as Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, or Quenza’s digital tools, can simplify the creation, distribution, and analysis of feedback forms. These platforms offer various customization options, allowing you to tailor questions to specific aspects of your workshop.

Moreover, they provide advanced analytics features that can help you visualize trends and patterns in participant responses. Implementing real-time feedback mechanisms, like live polls or interactive Q&A sessions during the workshop, can also provide immediate insights and allow for on-the-spot adjustments.

Additionally, consider using mobile apps to gather feedback, as they offer convenience for participants to respond at their own pace. Integrating these technological solutions not only makes the feedback collection process more efficient but also enhances the quality of the feedback you receive.

By adopting these tools, you can gather more comprehensive and actionable insights, leading to continuous improvement and higher satisfaction among your workshop participants.

Final Thoughts

If you’re evaluating your workshops, feedback forms are a great way to collect data and enhance your approach the next time around.

Make sure you’ve got a finger on the metrics that matter, and you’ll probably start to notice that your learners are sticking around for longer.

Ready to design and share your own workshop feedback forms? For a month of unlimited access to all the tools you’ll need, don’t forget to start your 1 dollar Quenza trial today .

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions to ask on a workshop feedback form might include: – Did the workshop meet your expectations? – Was the content relevant to your needs? – Was the workshop well-organized? – How effective was the presenter? – Was the pace of the workshop appropriate? – Did the materials provided enhance your learning experience? – Would you recommend this workshop to others?

There are several ways to gather feedback from a workshop. You might distribute paper feedback forms at the end of the event, use an online survey tool, or conduct one-on-one interviews with attendees. Make sure to follow up with attendees to thank them for their feedback and let them know how you plan to use it to improve future events.

An example of workshop feedback might include questions about the relevance and usefulness of the content, the effectiveness of the speaker, and the quality of the materials provided. Attendees might also be asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the workshop.

• ^ WHO. (n.d.). Model of workshop evaluation form. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/ceh/capacity/appendix2_model_workshop_evaluation_form.doc

To the quenza.com admin, Your posts are always informative and well-explained.

Leave a reply Cancel

Your email address will not be published.

Download free guide (PDF)

Discover how to engage your clients on autopilot while radically scaling your coaching practice.

Coach, This Changes Everything (Free PDF)

Effective Presentation Feedback: Examples, Importance, and Tips

• By Judhajit Sen
• August 7, 2024

Learning how to give a good presentation isn’t a talent; it’s a skill that requires time and presentation practice. The same goes for giving feedback. If you’re a manager or leader, your feedback can significantly improve a speaker’s performance and boost their confidence.

Continuous improvement starts with consistent feedback. Providing feedback, positive or otherwise, is crucial for ongoing growth. Everyone is on a journey of personal and professional development, and asking presentation feedback questions is a key part of that process.

Many people find public speaking and presenting intimidating, but feedback can help them get better. It highlights areas for improvement and reinforces strengths. Without feedback, growth is slow, and bad habits can become ingrained.

Feedback targets key aspects of performance, helping individuals focus on specific skills in an organized manner. It drives personal and professional growth by providing clear guidance and structure. Continuous feedback ensures that improvement is ongoing, making the learning process more effective.

Key Takeaways

• Feedback Drives Improvement: Providing consistent feedback helps speakers refine their skills, boost confidence, and address both strengths and weaknesses.
• Engage Your Audience: Collect feedback through presentation feedback sheets and forms or direct interaction to gauge engagement and improve future presentations.
• Balance Positive and Negative Feedback: Use specific PowerPoint presentation feedback examples to highlight what went well and offer practical advice for areas needing improvement.
• Receive Feedback Openly: Listen carefully, avoid taking feedback personally, and reflect on it to make meaningful changes in your presentation skills.

Importance of Presentation Feedback

Evaluation for a presentation is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it serves as a gauge for audience engagement . While we might think our presentations are perfect, there’s always room for improvement. Feedback, whether positive or negative, helps us grow. If you complete a presentation and receive no feedback, it might not be a sign of perfection but rather an indication that the audience was disengaged. Without their attention, they can’t provide feedback.

To avoid this, make it easier for your audience to engage and provide feedback on a presentation example. Consider using feedback forms to collect responses. These tools allow your audience to share their thoughts conveniently. Additionally, direct interaction can be beneficial. If there’s an opportunity to chat with attendees after the presentation, don’t hesitate to ask for their feedback. Most people are willing to help.

Secondly, feedback directly contributes to improving your public speaking skills. When people provide feedback, they often comment on your delivery or slides. You might hear things like, “You command attention well,” or “Your slides could be more visually appealing.” Candid criticism, such as, “Your facial expressions were distracting,” is also valuable. 

It’s crucial to actively seek, receive, and act on this feedback. By addressing the comments and suggestions, you can enhance both your presentation skills and the quality of your slides. Continuous improvement through feedback leads to better presentations and a more engaged audience.

Presentation Feedback Examples

Positive Feedback

Positive feedback in presentations highlights the strengths of the speaker and their effective delivery. It should:

Acknowledge Strengths: Point out what the speaker did well.

Provide Specific Examples: Mention moments that exceeded expectations.

Having good things to say about a presentation is about recognizing the speaker’s efforts beyond basic expectations. Instead of generic praise like “Good job!” specify how:

– The presentation flowed logically, enhancing audience understanding.

– Detailed research strengthened the presentation’s credibility.

– Inclusion of relevant slides demonstrated audience awareness.

– Engaging icebreakers established authority and captured attention.

– Complex topics were simplified for better audience comprehension.

– Real-life examples made the topic relatable and significant.

– Visual aids effectively supported key points, maintaining audience focus.

– Interactive elements encouraged audience engagement and clarity.

– Professional yet passionate delivery sustained audience interest.

– Conclusion effectively summarized key points while encouraging further exploration.

– Attention to detail in slides and delivery enhanced overall impact.

– Confident body language underscored authority and engagement.

– Additional resources provided enriched learning opportunities for all audience members.

Recognizing these specific strengths helps speakers refine their skills and deliver even stronger presentations in the future.

Constructive Feedback

Constructive feedback focuses on areas that need help while offering guidance on how to address those issues in future presentations. The goal is to build up the speaker, not tear them down, by highlighting specific weaknesses and providing practical advice.

When giving candid feedback, it’s important to focus on the presentation, not the presenter. If you notice a recurring problem, provide a few examples instead of pointing out every instance. Asking the speaker about their thought process before critiquing their slides or speech can help identify knowledge gaps.

Here are some examples of constructive feedback for a presentation:

Engage the Audience: Start with a thought-provoking question or an interesting statistic to grab the audience’s attention right away.

Eye Contact: Making eye contact helps connect with the audience and boosts your confidence.

Clarity and Pace: Speak with clarity and at a slower pace. Recording yourself and listening back can help you improve.

Interactive Elements: Include time for audience questions to make the presentation more engaging.

Audience Knowledge: Tailor your content to the audience’s knowledge level. Remove unnecessary parts and focus on what’s relevant.

Presentation Structure: Organize your presentation from general to specific to make it easier to follow.

Real-World Examples: Use real-world examples to make your points more relatable and understandable.

Visuals: Balance text and visuals on your slides to maintain audience interest.

Humor and Media: Use humor and GIFs sparingly to enhance transitions, not distract from the content.

Confidence and Preparation: Practice regularly and consider a script or outline to keep on track and improve pacing.

Additionally, understand your audience’s body language and social cues to adjust your presentation style and tone. Preparing for tough questions and remaining calm during debates can help maintain a positive discussion. Practicing consistently will build your confidence and improve your overall presentation skills.

Candid feedback on how to perform a presentation is about continuous improvement, helping speakers refine their skills and deliver more impactful presentations in the future.

Things to Look for When Providing Presentation Feedback

Giving feedback on a presentation can seem daunting, but breaking it down into specific areas can make the process easier and more effective. Here are key aspects to consider:

Understanding: Did the speakers know who their audience was?

Context: Was the amount of context provided suitable for the audience’s knowledge level?

Engagement: Did the speaker allow time for audience questions?

Tone: Was the presentation’s tone appropriate for the audience?

Body Language and Presence

Approachability: Did the speaker appear approachable and confident?

Clarity: Was the speaker speaking clearly and at a good pace?

Eye Contact: Did the presenter make eye contact with the audience?

Nonverbal Cues: Were the presenter’s nonverbal cues appropriate and not distracting?

Clarity: Was the information clear, specific, and easy to understand?

Relevance: Was the material relevant to the topic and audience?

Examples: Did the presenter include real-world examples to illustrate points?

Relevance: Were the visuals relevant to the content?

Clarity: Were the visuals easy to see and understand?

Balance: Was there a good balance between text and visuals?

Professionalism: Did the slides look professional and well-designed?

Communication

Key Messages: Were the key messages clear and concise?

Objectives: Did the presenter clearly communicate the objectives of the presentation?

Takeaways: Did the presenter provide clear takeaways for the audience?

Voice: How well did the presenter’s voice carry in the presentation space?

Engagement: Was the presentation engaging and interactive?

Capturing Attention: How well did the presenter capture and maintain audience attention?

Accessibility: Was the presentation accessible to all audience members?

Using a checklist based on these categories can help you provide structured and transparent feedback on the quality of a presentation, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

Tips to Give Effective Presentation Feedback

Giving effective feedback on presentations is a skill that takes practice to master. Here are some tips to help you provide constructive and positive feedback to presenters:

Prepare What You’d Like to Say  

Before giving feedback, think carefully about what you want to communicate. Prepare your thoughts to avoid knee-jerk reactions that can be unhelpful. Practice your feedback with a coach if possible to ensure clarity and effectiveness.

Use the Feedback Sandwich

Start with something positive, then offer candid feedback, and end with another positive comment. This method helps balance your feedback and shows the presenter what they did well.

Be Specific and Concrete  

Use specific examples from the presentation when giving feedback. Avoid vague comments like “ improve your communication skills .” Instead, say, “I suggest adding a slide with key agenda items to help the audience follow along.”

Focus on Behavior, Not Personality  

Address actions and behaviors rather than personal traits. For example, instead of saying, “You seemed nervous,” say, “I noticed that you were fidgeting, which can be distracting.”

Use “I” Statements  

Frame your feedback with “I” statements to make it clear that you’re sharing your perspective. For instance, say, “I felt the presentation could benefit from more examples.”

Give feedback as soon as possible after the presentation. This ensures that the details are fresh in your mind and provides more accurate and helpful feedback.

Offer Solutions or Suggestions

When pointing out areas for improvement, offer actionable advice. For example, “I recommend practicing with a friend to improve your pacing.”

Create Dialogue

Encourage a two-way conversation by asking the presenter for their thoughts on their performance. This helps them reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement.

Lead with Empathy

Be clear and direct, but also kind. Feedback should come from a place of care and support, making the recipient feel valued.

Check in with the presenter after some time to see how they are progressing. Offer continued support and share any positive changes you’ve noticed.

Choose the Right Setting

Provide feedback in a private and comfortable setting where the presenter feels safe to receive and discuss it.

End on a Positive Note  

Finish with a sincere compliment to reinforce positive behaviors and encourage growth. For example, “I was really impressed with your opening—it grabbed everyone’s attention.”

By following these tips, you can give feedback that is constructive, supportive, and effective, helping presenters improve their skills and confidence.

Tips to Constructively Receive Presentation Feedback

Once you’ve learned how to give good feedback, it’s time to focus on receiving it. Here’s how to make the most of feedback after your presentation:

Pay Close Attention

When you ask for feedback, stop talking and listen. Avoid justifying your actions or steering the conversation. Simply listen to what the person has to say.

Don’t Take it Personally

Pay attention to how you respond to feedback, including your body language and facial expressions. Don’t take feedback personally, as this might make the person giving it feel like they’re hurting your feelings. This can lead to less honest feedback, which isn’t helpful. Create an environment that allows honest and constructive dialogue.

Be Open-minded

To grow, be open to all feedback you receive. Closing yourself off from feedback hinders your progress and development. Embrace feedback as a chance to improve.

Understand the Message

Before making any changes based on feedback, ensure you fully understand the message. Avoid changing something that’s working well. Confirm that you’re addressing the right issues before taking action.

Reflect & Process

After receiving feedback, take time to reflect and process it. Compare the feedback with your own self-evaluation. Look for differences between your perspective and the feedback you received. Remember, no presentation is perfect, and it’s challenging to meet everyone’s expectations.

Always follow up after receiving feedback. This shows you value the input and are committed to improvement. It also demonstrates that you’ve taken action based on their advice.

Wrap-up: Presentation Feedback

Presentation feedback is crucial for improvement and confidence building. It involves both positive and constructive elements that help speakers refine their skills. Positive feedback highlights what went well, offering specific praise to reinforce strengths and encourage continued success. Constructive feedback, on the other hand, focuses on areas for growth, providing actionable advice to address weaknesses. This balanced approach ensures ongoing development and enhances presentation quality.

Effective feedback should be specific, timely, and empathetic, aiming to support rather than criticize. By actively seeking and integrating feedback, presenters can enhance their delivery, engage their audience better, and continuously improve their skills. Embracing feedback as a tool for growth helps transform challenges into opportunities for learning and achievement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why is feedback important for presentations?  

Feedback helps improve presentation skills by highlighting strengths and areas needing improvement. It boosts confidence and ensures ongoing growth, making presentations more effective and engaging.

2. How can you provide effective feedback to a speaker?  

Focus on specific behaviors and provide actionable advice. Use examples from the presentation, offer solutions, and maintain a supportive tone to help the speaker improve without discouraging them.

3. What is the best way to receive feedback?  

Listen carefully without getting defensive. Be open-minded, understand the feedback fully, and reflect on it before making changes. Following up shows you value the input and are committed to improvement.

4. How can I make feedback easier for my audience to give?  

Use feedback forms or engage directly with your audience after the presentation. This makes it convenient for them to share their thoughts and ensures you get valuable insights for improvement.

Elevate Your Presentation Skills with Expert Feedback

At Prezentium, we understand that effective presentation feedback is essential for growth and improvement. Whether you’re refining your skills or seeking to make a lasting impression, our AI-powered services can make a difference. Our Overnight Presentations service ensures you receive expertly designed, visually compelling presentations. For ongoing improvement, our Accelerators team transforms your ideas and notes into polished presentations and custom templates. And with Zenith Learning , we offer interactive workshops that combine structured problem-solving with visual storytelling to enhance your communication skills.

Don’t let feedback intimidate you—let it be a tool for excellence. Partner with Prezentium to receive the insights and support you need to shine. Contact us today to see how we can help you deliver outstanding presentations and continuously improve your skills.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

Remote Team Tips: 5 Ways to Improve Remote Communication

Prepare for a presentation: 11 presentation preparation tips, communication methods: 5 ways to communicate at the workplace.

How to gather workshop feedback, with example questions

Nov 30, 2022

Posted by: Gemma King

“Workshop feedback? I was facilitating, I know how it went!”... said no smart workshopper, ever.

We talk a lot about putting data and outcomes before gut feelings and hunches, and there’s no better time to put that into practice than when you’ve just run a workshop!

Not only does positive workshop feedback help you understand the best ways to get results from your team sessions, negative (but constructive) feedback is one of the most powerful tools you have for improvement.

It can be as simple as ‘just’ sending a survey, or emailing a couple of questions to attendees, but there’s a lot to think about. Follow these steps to make sure you’re getting the most out of your workshop feedback.

The benefits of workshop feedback

When you ask participants for feedback, you’re letting them know that their time and contributions are valuable. You’re also learning how to get the most value out of their attendance possible.

Often, and particularly if the feedback is anonymous, you’ll discover that there were plenty that individuals didn’t share in the session that could be useful. Ideas they were too shy to put out there, or a thought they had after mulling things over.

And if you’re running repeated sessions (project check-ins or retros ) then you can start to build a useful set of data about what works, what doesn’t and how your own facilitation improves over time.

How to gather workshop feedback

There are lots of options for gathering feedback from your attendees. Here are some of the key questions you’ll need to answer before getting started and the pros and cons of each of the possible choices.

What is the most important data for you to collect?

If you set a clear outcomes-based goal at the beginning of the workshop, you’ll know for yourself whether or not this has been achieved. But if you were hoping to improve communication or team cohesion, better understand your customers and their journey or something else that’s tricky to measure, this is a great place to start.

For yourself, as a facilitator, it’s also useful to find out things like:

• Was everyone who attended able to add value?
• Did everyone who attended receive or contribute enough value to make it worth their time?
• Did your attendees perceive it to be valuable, even if you know that it technically was (or was not).

It’s also important to think of the feedback as the data that it is. That will help you decide what format to receive, store and analyse it in. For example, if you run this session every month (or three months, or year), you’ll know you need to keep at least some of the questions the same, so that you can spot trends. If one of your performance objectives is around facilitation, you’ll want data to back up your achievements in this area.

And if it’s just a one-off, such as a brainstorming workshop, you’ll know you can have more fun with the feedback you gather!

Workshop feedback survey, or something else?

Surveys aren’t the only way to gather feedback – although they are incredibly powerful. Some other options include:

• A person email asking for attendees’ thoughts after the session.
• An anonymous ‘comments’ box for people to place their feedback in at the end of the session (if in person).
• Building a ROTI (return on time invested) activity into the end of your session.

But surveys - well, they have so many benefits. Here are some of the reasons we think they’re often the best approach:

• They can be completely anonymous, so people are more likely to say what they really think.
• They give people the opportunity to take some time to ruminate before they fill it in.
• For recurrent meetings, they can be duplicated to allow for accurate comparison of data between sessions.
• They’re quicker to set up and analyse the results from than comments in emails or in a suggestion box.
• Many survey providers offer a free option, and often include a tonne of useful advice about survey structure and questions.

Whatever process you choose, there will likely be some form of question asked (even if you use an anonymous suggestion box) to help guide your participants to provide something useful. Here’s how you ask the right question in the right way.

Encouraging answers (and honest ones!) to your workshop feedback questions

A quick note here on how to improve your chances of getting lots of responses that include good information.

Send the survey as part of an email that thanks people for participating, and let them know how long the survey will take. And, of course, keep it as short as possible to get what you need without boring your respondents.

If at all possible, keep the survey anonymous and state that it is in your first contact.

A simple “Thank you for taking part today, it was so valuable to have you there. Please take this two-question survey about how you feel it went; it will take approximately one minute and really helps me improve these sessions.”

Best workshop feedback question formats

The problem with asking people for their input is that, often, there will be plenty that they want to say, but it’s not all going to be useful. Tailor your workshop feedback questions to draw out what you want them to say, instead. We’ll talk about that later, but here are some question/answer formats to consider and how to make the best use of each one.

• Simple question with an either/or answer. For these, make doubly sure that the possible answers really are mutually exclusive and that there are no other possible answers. There’s nothing more frustrating than being asked to choose between two options when the answer is something in the middle, or not represented at all.
• Multiple choice, select one. As with above, unless you include an ‘Other’ answer (and are fully prepared for most people to use it), you’ll need to make sure the answers are exhaustive and mutually exclusive.
• Multiple choice, select X number/as many as apply. These questions, especially with an ‘Other’ option, are really useful. Especially if you say you’re only going to ask one or two questions! For example: “What did you find useful about the session?” with options like: the background information provided; the expert introduction; the format of the activities; the voting section; other (please specify).
• Some sort of ‘scale’. Likert scales, for example, are very popular. This is useful where the answer is not either/or, but likely sits on a spectrum. For example, “How valuable did you personally find this session?” with a scale of ‘not useful at all’ to ‘very useful’.
• Ranking questions. For example, “Rank the sections in order of how useful you found them”. These can be frustrating to fill in, both practically and if you found two or more items equally useful.

Try to use neutral language, as leading questions will render your feedback far less useful. If you wouldn't ask "How frustrating did you find the session?" then don't ask how 'great' they thought it was, either!

Think very carefully about what you will do with the feedback. For example, if people rank the different activities in order of usefulness, what will your action be if something consistently comes out last? Swap it for something else?

For example, if people say the ice-breaker wasn’t useful, you could try a new one. But it may just be that the rest of the session was very practically applicable to their roles and… well, something had to go last! And if there's nothing you can realistically do in response to the answers, don't waste a question on asking. 

And we’d always add a free text box to the end with an open-ended question like “Is there anything else you’d like to say about the session or project?” – this is where you’ll get some real eye-openers!

Best workshop feedback questions

While leading questions are not best practice, you can start with a positive to help ease people in and make them more comfortable with sharing more constructive thoughts later.

What did you most enjoy about the workshop session?

Leave this as a blank text box, or add a ‘Choose one from the list’ option and be sure to include ‘Other, please specify’.

How would you rate each of the following elements of the workshop?

Give enough of a prompt to jog their memory instead of just the name of the activity, and include descriptions of what the scales mean (not just numbers). Try to stick to low numbers for poor outcomes, or – if you must have them the other way around, use high numbers for poor outcomes in all questions. Otherwise, people will forget and give feedback that is the opposite of how they feel!

Some examples:

• It made me feel uncomfortable about engaging with the workshop and other attendees.
• It made me feel slightly uncomfortable about engaging with the workshop and other attendees.
• It did not affect how comfortable I was about engaging with the workshop and other attendees.
• It made me feel slightly more comfortable about engaging with the workshop and other attendees.
• It made me feel very comfortable about engaging with the workshop and other attendees.

Notice that it wasn’t necessarily about how much they enjoyed it or if they thought it was ‘good’; the aim of the icebreaker is to help people to feel comfortable about taking part in the workshop. This is how you find out if it did that, or not. Keep the wording very similar to avoid any possibility of confusing people about how uniform the scale is.

How would you rate the idea generation session (e.g., Crazy Eights )?

• It made it much harder for me to come up with ideas.
• It neither helped nor hindered my ability to come up with ideas.
• It made it easier for me to come up with ideas.

You don’t need to include all of the sections. For example, if you ran Who, What, When to get people to commit to a list of actions, you will already know if it was effective because you’ll have a list of names against actions (or not). But if you want to, and your survey is not already too long, you can ask an open-ended question here.

What did you think of the Who, What, When exercise to assign people to actions?

Next, ask people about their own personal contributions. Keep these simple and use a free text box, as follows.

Do you feel that you made a valuable contribution to the workshop? Add your answer, and include any other information that you’d like to share.

Do you feel that you received value from attending the workshop? Add your answer, and include any other information that you’d like to share.

This helps you work out if you invited the right people, and if you made good use of their time.

Now that people are warmed up, this is the bit that will help you to make improvements next time you run a workshop.

Is there anything you think could have been done differently to improve the workshop?

• Yes (please specify)

It’s so tempting to add ‘No, it was great !’, but that implies that if you click ‘Yes’ it means you did not think it was great, and people won’t do that very often unless it was really not great. It is possible to think it was a great workshop and still have constructive criticism. In fact, that’s the best possible outcome!

Is there anything that surprised you about the session?

This is a good way to find out what people’s expectations were, and whether you met them or delivered something completely different. If there were any surprises, think about whether that element of surprise was helpful, and – if not – how you can prepare people more effectively next time round.

And finally, it’s always good to add an optional “ Is there anything else you’d like to say about the workshop?  Remember, this survey is completely anonymous.” question. This allows people to share that little nugget of information they’ve been holding onto that could help you transform your practice.

For example “I found it really hard to concentrate for two hours with only a short break. I’d have loved to do this as two sessions either side of lunch, or on different days.” or “It would have been really valuable to invite the interns to this session too.”

If you can nail asking for the right feedback – and acting upon it – the incremental improvements to your facilitation could see you at the top of your game in no time.

Level up your career with Pip Club

Join 100,000+ leaders who get unique tips every week on storytelling, leadership and productivity - plus exclusive how-to guides, first-dibs on upcoming Pip Decks and our very best discounts.

Nearly there...

Check your inbox to confirm your email.

No spam, no email sharing - ever. Privacy Policy

One of the few newsletters I look forward to. — Dave Cunningham, Head of DesignOps @ NHS

You might find these articles useful

Tell your workshop like a story

How to check in/check out during meetings

Mind Map masterclass

How to Give Effective Presentation Feedback

A conversation with sam j. lubner, md, facp.

Giving an effective scientific presentation, like all public speaking, is an acquired skill that takes practice to perfect. When delivered successfully, an oral presentation can be an invaluable opportunity to showcase your latest research results among your colleagues and peers. It can also promote attendee engagement and help audience members retain the information being presented, enhancing the educational benefit of your talk, according to Sam J. ­Lubner, MD, FACP , Associate Professor of Medicine and Program Director, Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, and a member of ASCO’s Education Council.

Sam J. ­Lubner, MD, FACP

In 2019, the Education Council launched a pilot program to provide a group of selected speakers at the ASCO Annual Meeting with feedback on their presentations. Although some of the reviewers, which included members of the Education Council and Education Scholars Program, as well as ASCO’s program directors, conveyed information to the presenters that was goal-referenced, tangible, transparent, actionable, specific, and personalized—the hallmarks of effective feedback—others provided comments that were too vague to improve the speaker’s performance, said Dr. Lubner. For example, they offered comments such as “Great session” or “Your slides were too complicated,” without being specific about what made the session “great” or the slides “too complicated.”

“Giving a presentation at a scientific meeting is different from what we were trained to do. We’re trained to take care of patients, and while we do have some training in presentation, it usually centers around how to deliver clinical information,” said Dr. Lubner. “What we are trying to do with the Education Council’s presentation feedback project is to apply evidence-based methods for giving effective feedback to make presentations at ASCO’s Annual Meeting, international meetings, symposia, and conferences more clinically relevant and educationally beneficial.”

GUEST EDITOR

The ASCO Post talked with Dr. Lubner about how to give effective feedback and how to become a more effective presenter.

Defining Effective Feedback

Feedback is often confused with giving advice, praise, and evaluation, but none of these descriptions are exactly accurate. What constitutes effective feedback?

When I was looking over the literature on feedback to prepare myself on how to give effective feedback to the medical students and residents I oversee, I was amazed to find the information is largely outdated. For example, recommendations in the 1980s and 1990s called for employing the “sandwich” feedback method, which involves saying something positive, then saying what needs to be improved, and then making another positive remark. But that method is time-intensive, and it feels disingenuous to me.

What constitutes helpful feedback to me is information that is goal-referenced, actionable, specific, and has immediate impact. It should be constructive, descriptive, and nonjudgmental. After I give feedback to a student or resident, my next comments often start with a self-reflective question, “How did that go?” and that opens the door to further discussion. The mnemonic I use to provide better feedback and achieve learning goals is SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely, as described here:

• Specific: Avoid using ambiguous language, for example, “Your presentation was great.” Be specific about what made the presentation “great,” such as, “Starting your presentation off with a provocative question grabbed my attention.”
• Measurable: Suggest quantifiable objectives to meet so there is no uncertainty about what the goals are. For example, “Next time, try a summary slide with one or two take-home points for the audience.”
• Achievable: The goal of the presentation should be attainable. For example, “Trim your slides to no more than six lines per slide and no more than six words per line; otherwise, you are just reading your slides.”
• Realistic: The feedback you give should relate to the goal the presenter is trying to achieve. For example, “Relating the research results back to an initial case presentation will solidify the take-home point that for cancer x, treatment y is the best choice.”
• Timely: Feedback given directly after completion of the presentation is more effective than feedback provided at a later date.

The ultimate goal of effective feedback is to help the presenter become more adept at relaying his or her research in an engaging and concise way, to maintain the audience’s attention and ensure that they retain the information presented.

“Giving a presentation at a scientific meeting is different from what we were trained to do.” — Sam J. Lubner, MD, FACP Tweet this quote

Honing Your Communication Skills

What are some specific tips on how to give effective feedback?

There are five tips that immediately come to mind: (1) focus on description rather than judgment; (2) focus on observation rather than inference; (3) focus on observable behaviors; (4) share both positive and constructive specific points of feedback with the presenter; and (5) focus on the most important points to improve future ­presentations.

Becoming a Proficient Presenter

How can ASCO faculty become more proficient at delivering their research at the Annual Meeting and at ASCO’s thematic meetings?

ASCO has published faculty guidelines and best practices to help speakers immediately involve an audience in their presentation and hold their attention throughout the talk. They include the following recommendations:

• Be engaging. Include content that will grab the audience’s attention early. For example, interesting facts, images, or a short video to hold the audience’s focus.
• Be cohesive and concise. When preparing slides, make sure the presentation has a clear and logical flow to it, from the introduction to its conclusion. Establish key points and clearly define their importance and impact in a concise, digestible manner.
• Include take-home points. Speakers should briefly summarize key findings from their research and ensure that their conclusion is fully supported by the data in their presentation. If possible, they should provide recommendations or actions to help solidify their message. Thinking about and answering this question—if the audience remembers one thing from my presentation, what do I want it to be?—will help speakers focus their presentation.
• When it comes to slide design, remember, less is more. It’s imperative to keep slides simple to make an impact on the audience.

Another method to keep the audience engaged and enhance the educational benefit of the talk is to use the Think-Pair ( ± Share) strategy, by which the speaker asks attendees to think through questions using two to three steps. They include:

• Think independently about the question that has been posed, forming ideas.
• Pair to discuss thoughts, allowing learners to articulate their ideas and to consider those of others.
• Share (as a pair) the ideas with the larger group.

The value of this exercise is that it helps participants retain the information presented, encourages individual participation, and refines ideas and knowledge through collaboration.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SLIDE DESIGN

• Have a single point per line.
• Use < 6 words per line.
• Use < 6 lines per slide.
• Use < 30 characters per slide.
• Use simple words.
• When using tables, maintain a maximum of 6 rows and 6 columns.
• Avoid busy graphics or tables. If you find yourself apologizing to the audience because your slide is too busy, it’s a bad slide and should not be included in the presentation.
• Use cues, not full thoughts, to make your point.
• Keep to one slide per minute as a guide to the length of the presentation.
• Include summary/take-home points per concept. We are all physicians who care about our patients and believe in adhering to good science. Highlight the information you want the audience to take away from your presentation and how that information applies to excellent patient care.

Speakers should also avoid using shorthand communication or dehumanizing language when describing research results. For example, do not refer to patients as a disease: “The study included 250 EGFR mutants.” Say instead, “The study included 250 patients with EGFR -mutant tumors.” And do not use language that appears to blame patients when their cancer progresses after treatment, such as, “Six patients failed to respond to [study drug].” Instead say, “Six patients had tumors that did not respond to [study drug].”

We all have respect for our patients, families, and colleagues, but sometimes our language doesn’t reflect that level of respect, and we need to be more careful and precise in the language we use when talking with our patients and our colleagues.

ASCO has developed a document titled “The Language of Respect” to provide guidance on appropriate respectful language to use when talking with patients, family members, or other health-care providers and when giving presentations at the Annual Meeting and other ASCO symposia. Presenters should keep these critical points in mind and put them into practice when delivering research data at these meetings. ■

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Lubner has been employed by Farcast Biosciences and has held a leadership role at Farcast Biosciences.

Mobile Phones May Not Be Linked to Brain Cancer WHO-Backed Study Finds

Use of immune checkpoint inhibitors under study in high-risk, hormone receptor–positive, early-stage breast cancer, delays in oral antimyeloma treatment initiation: role of social determinants of health, belzutifan vs everolimus in previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma, new study illuminates variations in performance characteristics between fit tests.

• Editorial Board
• Advertising
• Disclosures
• Privacy Policy

.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Best Practices Become a better presenter -- with a little help from your friends

by TED Masterclass Team • May 12, 2020

Getting useful feedback can be a critical step in developing an effective presentation - it can also be harder to find than you might expect. Honest feedback calls on you to be vulnerable, and forces your feedback partner to sometimes deliver difficult constructive criticism. The good news is that this type of deep and authentic feedback can encourage personal growth and a willingness to take creative risks.

Get high-quality feedback that elevates your presentation skills by putting in a little extra preparation and focus.

First, decide who to ask for feedback

Feedback can feel personally risky if it’s coming from a close friend or colleague. Because these relationships are so important to us, honest feedback can end up feeling critical. In these situations, it can become tempting to give non-critical feedback, but that’s not helpful.

The person you work with to give you feedback should be someone:

• You want to learn from, who pushes you to think creatively
• With a different perspective - it can help to look beyond the people you spend a lot of time with personally or professionally
• Who shares your enthusiasm for acquiring new skills and is excited for you to become a better presenter

Then, prepare to receive feedback

Just as important as deciding who will be giving you feedback, is creating an environment and mindset where giving and receiving constructive feedback is easy.

• Create a distraction-free time and space for getting feedback. Ideally both of you should be present, focused, and open. If we’re feeling stressed or pressed for time, it’s hard to be a good feedback partner. That’s why it’s wise to tune in to how you’re feeling before you schedule a session.
• Remind the person that you’re looking for honest feedback to be the best presenter you can be.
• Before getting started, tell the person if there are any specific aspects of your idea or talk that you’d like them to focus feedback on.

Finally, ask the right questions

Giving feedback can be overwhelming for your partner if they don’t know what they should be focusing on. Decide on these areas ahead of time, and let your partner know. Then follow up with questions that will help them hone in on the most helpful feedback points for you.

Get overall feedback using these three questions:

• What works?
• What needs work?
• What’s a suggestion for one thing I might try?

Get specific feedback using these questions:

• Delivery: How is it landing for you overall? Are there places where your attention is wandering? What’s distracting?
• Content: Do you get this - will the audience? What questions do you have? Where are you engaged? Surprised? Moved? Is there a clear takeaway for the audience? Do you have any clarifying questions?

Good feedback is a gift that can really elevate your presentation skills. Make the most of your feedback opportunities with a little preparation.

© 2024 TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved. Please note that the TED Talks Usage policy does not apply to this content and is not subject to our creative commons license.

How to Give Feedback on a Presentation Professionally

Master the art of professional communication in business settings with expert guidance. Learn how to give feedback on a presentation professionally.

As professionals, we frequently find ourselves in situations where we need to provide feedback on presentations. Whether it's in a corporate setting, educational institution, or any other professional environment, the ability to offer constructive criticism is a valuable skill. This guide aims to provide comprehensive insights and practical strategies for effectively giving feedback on presentations, ensuring a positive and growth-oriented approach.

Understanding the importance of giving professional presentation feedback

Enhancing the Learning Experience for the Presenter

Providing feedback on a presentation plays a vital role in enhancing the learning experience for the presenter. It offers them an opportunity to gain valuable insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. By providing constructive feedback, presenters can refine their skills, leading to continuous growth and development. When feedback is given professionally, presenters feel encouraged and supported in their efforts to improve, fostering a positive learning environment.

Fostering a Culture of Improvement and Growth

Understanding the art of giving professional presentation feedback helps in fostering a culture of improvement and growth within a team or organization. When feedback is delivered effectively, it promotes a mindset of openness and continuous learning. This, in turn, creates an environment where individuals are motivated to strive for excellence, leading to overall progress and success.

Building Constructive Relationships Through Honest Feedback

Professional presentation feedback allows for the building of constructive relationships between the presenter and the audience. It demonstrates a commitment to the presenter's success and professional development, fostering trust and transparency. By offering feedback in a professional manner, relationships are strengthened, leading to enhanced collaboration and communication.

Use Lark Messenger to elevate your team communication.

Practical examples of dealing with proper presentation feedback

Example 1: handling a presentation feedback dilemma in a team setting.

Scenario : In a team meeting, a colleague presents a project but lacks clarity and coherence.

Common Mistakes :

Providing vague or unclear feedback that doesn't address the specific issues in the presentation.

Using a confrontational tone that may demoralize the presenter.

Best Expression : "I appreciate the effort you put into the presentation. It would be helpful to streamline the content for better clarity and precision. Let's work together to ensure the next presentation is impactful and well-structured."

Example 2: navigating delicate situations when providing presentation feedback

Scenario : A team member exhibits nervousness and lacks confidence during a presentation.

Overlooking the emotional aspect and focusing solely on technical errors.

Criticizing without acknowledging any positive aspects of the presentation.

Best Expression : "Your dedication and effort are evident. Let's focus on building confidence through practice and incorporating storytelling techniques. Your passion for the topic will undoubtedly resonate with the audience when presented more confidently."

Example 3: tackling sensitive feedback scenarios in presentation evaluation

Scenario : Providing feedback to a team leader on their presentation.

Feeling intimidated and hesitant to provide honest feedback.

Overemphasizing minor issues, which may dilute the impact of the feedback.

Best Expression : "Your insights were valuable. Let's further emphasize the key points to provide a more impactful message. With enhanced clarity, the presentation will effectively drive our team's objectives."

Consequences of inadequate presentation feedback

Impeding the Presenter's Growth and Development

Inadequate feedback can hinder the presenter's growth and development. Without constructive criticism, the presenter may continue to exhibit the same shortcomings, impeding their professional advancement.

Hindering Team Progress Within Professional Settings

Insufficient feedback can hinder team progress within professional settings. When presentations lack constructive input, it may lead to a stagnation of ideas and innovation within the team, impacting overall productivity.

Creating an Environment of Ineffectual Communication and Ambiguity

Failure to provide professional feedback on presentations can create an environment of ineffectual communication and ambiguity. It may lead to misunderstandings and a lack of clarity in conveying ideas and information, affecting the organization's effectiveness.

Learn more about Lark x Communication

Step-by-step instructions on providing professional presentation feedback

Understanding the context and objectives of the presentation.

To provide effective feedback, it's essential to gain a thorough understanding of the context and objectives of the presentation. Consider the audience, the purpose of the presentation, and the key messages that need to be conveyed.

Utilizing a structured approach to formulating and delivering feedback

Structure the feedback by addressing specific areas such as content, delivery, and overall impact. This provides a clear framework for the presenter to assess their performance and work on areas that need refinement.

Incorporating empathy and constructive criticism in the feedback process

Approach the feedback process with empathy, recognizing the effort and dedication of the presenter. Combine this with constructive criticism to guide them towards improvement while maintaining a positive and supportive tone.

Providing actionable recommendations for improvement

Offer actionable recommendations by suggesting specific strategies for improvement. This empowers the presenter to implement practical changes, thereby fostering continuous growth and development.

Articulating professional presentation feedback

When articulating professional presentation feedback, it's essential to focus on building rapport and trust while employing encouraging language that emphasizes growth and improvement. Emphasizing the importance of clarity and specificity in feedback further ensures the effectiveness of the communication process.

Professional feedback: do's and dont's

In conclusion, understanding how to give feedback on a presentation professionally is an invaluable skill that contributes to personal and professional growth. By recognizing its importance, incorporating best practices, and leveraging practical examples, individuals can navigate the feedback process with confidence and proficiency, ultimately fostering an environment of continuous improvement and excellence.

How can i offer criticism without demoralizing the presenter?

Offering criticism without demoralizing the presenter involves framing feedback constructively, focusing on the potential for improvement, and recognizing the efforts made by the presenter.

What if the presenter disagrees with the feedback provided?

In the event of disagreement, it's important to engage in open dialogue, understanding the presenter's perspective, and collectively working towards finding common ground for constructive feedback.

How do i deliver feedback to a superior or manager professionally?

When providing feedback to a superior or manager, it's essential to approach the conversation with respect, clarity, and a solutions-oriented mindset, ensuring that the feedback is aligned with the professional context and objectives.

Lark, bringing it all together

All your team need is Lark

Explore More in Business Communication

Blog > Effective Feedback for Presentations - digital with PowerPoint or with printable sheets

Effective Feedback for Presentations - digital with PowerPoint or with printable sheets

10.26.20   •  #powerpoint #feedback #presentation.

Do you know whether you are a good presenter or not? If you do, chances are it's because people have told you so - they've given you feedback. Getting other's opinions about your performance is something that's important for most aspects in life, especially professionally. However, today we're focusing on a specific aspect, which is (as you may have guessed from the title): presentations.

The importance of feedback

Take a minute to think about the first presentation you've given: what was it like? Was it perfect? Probably not. Practise makes perfect, and nobody does everything right in the beginning. Even if you're a natural at speaking and presenting, there is usually something to improve and to work on. And this is where feedback comes in - because how are you going to know what it is that you should improve? You can and should of course assess yourself after each and every presentation you give, as that is an important part of learning and improvement. The problem is that you yourself are not aware of all the things that you do well (or wrong) during your presentation. But your audience is! And that's why you should get audience feedback.

Qualities of good Feedback

Before we get into the different ways of how you can get feedback from your audience, let's briefly discuss what makes good feedback. P.S.: These do not just apply for presentations, but for any kind of feedback.

• Good feedback is constructive, not destructive. The person receiving feedback should feel empowered and inspired to work on their skills, not discouraged. You can of course criticize on an objective level, but mean and insulting comments have to be kept to yourself.
• Good feedback involves saying bot what has to be improved (if there is anything) and what is already good (there is almost always something!)
• After receiving good feedback, the recipient is aware of the steps he can and should take in order to improve.

Ways of receiving / giving Feedback after a Presentation

1. print a feedback form.

Let's start with a classic: the feedback / evaluation sheet. It contains several questions, these can be either open (aka "What did you like about the presentation?") or answered on a scale (e.g. from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"). The second question format makes a lot of sense if you have a large audience, and it also makes it easy to get an overview of the results. That's why in our feedback forms (which you can download at the end of this post), you'll find mainly statements with scales. This has been a proven way for getting and giving valuable feedback efficiently for years. We do like the feedback form a lot, though you have to be aware that you'll need to invest some time to prepare, count up and analyse.

• ask specifically what you want to ask
• good overview of the results
• anonymous (people are likely to be more honest)
• easy to access: you can just download a feedback sheet online (ours, for example, which you'll find at the end of this blog post!)
• analysing the results can be time-consuming
• you have to print out the sheets, it takes preparation

2. Online: Get digital Feedback

In the year 2020, there's got to be a better way of giving feedback, right? There is, and you should definitely try it out! SlideLizard is a free PowerPoint extension that allows you to get your audience's feedback in the quickest and easiest way possible. You can of course customize the feedback question form to your specific needs and make sure you get exactly the kind of feedback you need. Click here to download SlideLizard right now, or scroll down to read some more about the tool.

• quick and easy to access
• easy and fast export, analysis and overview of feedback
• save feedback directly on your computer
• Participants need a working Internet connection (but that usually isn't a problem nowadays)

3. Verbal Feedback

"So, how did you like the presentation?", asks the lecturer. A few people in the audience nod friendly, one or two might even say something about how the slides were nice and the content interesting. Getting verbal feedback is hard, especially in big groups. If you really want to analyse and improve your presentation habits and skills, we recommend using one of the other methods. However, if you have no internet connection and forgot to bring your feedback sheets, asking for verbal feedback is still better than nothing.

• no prerequisites
• open format
• okay for small audiences
• not anonymous (people might not be honest)
• time consuming
• no detailed evaluation
• no way to save the feedback (except for your memory)
• not suitable for big audiences

Feedback to yourself - Self Assessment

I've mentioned before that it is incredibly important to not only let others tell you what went well and what didn't in your presentation. Your own impressions are of huge value, too. After each presentation you give, ask yourself the following questions (or better yet, write your answers down!):

• What went wrong (in my opinion)? What can I do in order to avoid this from happening next time?
• What went well? What was well received by the audience? What should I do more of?
• How was I feeling during this presentation? (Nervous? Confident? ...)

Tip: If you really want to actively work on your presentation skills, filming yourself while presenting and analysing the video after is a great way to go. You'll get a different view on the way you talk, move, and come across.

Digital Feedback with SlideLizard

Were you intrigued by the idea of easy Online-feedback? With SlideLizard your attendees can easily give you feedback directly with their Smartphone. After the presentation you can analyze the result in detail.

• type in your own feedback questions
• choose your rating scale: 1-5 points, 1-6 points, 1-5 stars or 1-6 stars;
• show your attendees an open text field and let them enter any text they want

Note: SlideLizard is amazing for giving and receiving feedback, but it's definitely not the only thing it's great for. Once you download the extension, you get access to the most amazing tools - most importantly, live polls and quizzes, live Q&A sessions, attendee note taking, content and slide sharing, and presentation analytics. And the best thing about all this? You can get it for free, and it is really easy to use, as it is directly integrated in PowerPoint! Click here to discover more about SlideLizard.

Free Download: Printable Feedback Sheets for Business or School Presentations

If you'd rather stick with the good old paper-and-pen method, that's okay, too. You can choose between one of our two feedback sheet templates: there is one tailored to business presentations and seminars, and one that is created specifically for teachers assessing their students. Both forms can be downloaded as a Word, Excel, or pdf file. A lot of thought has gone into both of the forms, so you can benefit as much as possible; however, if you feel like you need to change some questions in order to better suit your needs, feel free to do so!

Feedback form for business

Template as PDF, Word & Excel - perfect for seminars, trainings,...

Feedback form for teachers (school or university)

Template as PDF, Word & Excel - perfect for school or university,...

Where can I find a free feedback form for presentations?

There are many templates available online. We designed two exclusive, free-to-download feedback sheets, which you can get in our blog article

What's the best way to get feedback for presentations?

You can get feedback on your presentations by using feedback sheets, asking for feedback verbally, or, the easiest and fastest option: get digital feedback with an online tool

Related articles

About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

Get 1 Month for free!

Do you want to make your presentations more interactive.

With SlideLizard you can engage your audience with live polls, questions and feedback . Directly within your PowerPoint Presentation. Learn more

Top blog articles More posts

Tips for good PowerPoint Presentations

A Guide to PowerPoint-Karaoke

Get started with Live Polls, Q&A and slides

for your PowerPoint Presentations

The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Co-located audience.

Co-located Audience means that the speaker talks to the audience in person. It is used verbal and non-verbal methods to communicate a message. The speaker makes gestures with their hands, changes their face expression and shows images.

Keynote is a programme which, like PowerPoint, is used to create digital screen presentations. It is mainly used by Apple users.

External Communication

External communication is the exchange of information between two organisations. For example, it can be an exchange with customers, clients or traders. Feedback from a customer also counts as external communication.

PowerPoint Online

PowerPoint Online is the web version of PowerPoint. You can present and edit your PowerPoint presentation with it, without having PowerPoint installed on your computer. It's only necessary to have a Microsoft - or a Microsoft 365 account.

Be the first to know!

The latest SlideLizard news, articles, and resources, sent straight to your inbox.

- or follow us on -

We use cookies to personalize content and analyze traffic to our website. You can choose to accept only cookies that are necessary for the website to function or to also allow tracking cookies. For more information, please see our privacy policy .

Cookie Settings

Necessary cookies are required for the proper functioning of the website. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information about the number of visitors, etc.

Workshop Feedback Form

This Workshop Feedback Form is a tool used to gather feedback from participants after a workshop, training session, or seminar. Workshop Feedback Forms are designed to collect valuable input from attendees about the content, presentation, and overall experience of the event.

Gathering Participant Insights

Our Workshop Feedback Form allows you to gather insights on various aspects of the workshop, such as the relevance of the topics, effectiveness of the presenter, and the quality of the materials provided. This feedback is crucial for improving future workshops and ensuring that the content meets the needs of the participants.

Improving Workshop Quality

By using our Workshop Feedback Form , you can analyze the feedback received and identify areas for improvement. This can lead to the enhancement of workshop content, delivery methods, and overall participant experience.

Measuring Learning Outcomes

Our Workshop Feedback Form also helps in measuring the effectiveness of the workshop in achieving its intended learning outcomes. Participants can provide feedback on how well the workshop helped them acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies.

Facilitating Continuous Improvement

By leveraging our Workshop Feedback Form , you can demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement in the quality of your workshops. The feedback obtained allows you to address any shortcomings and enhance the value delivered to participants.

Engaging Participants

Utilizing our Workshop Feedback Form shows your commitment to engaging participants in the improvement process. This can lead to greater participant satisfaction, increased attendance at future workshops, and a positive reputation for your organization.

We believe that utilizing our Workshop Feedback Form can significantly contribute to the success and improvement of your workshops.

How to Personalize Our Workshop Feedback Form (Add Your Own Logo, Style, and Fields)

So, you've decided to gather feedback from your workshop participants. Now what? Customizing this Workshop Feedback Form can add a professional touch and align it with your brand. First things first, click the "Use this Form" button to start the process. If you're new to Foyer, don't worry! The onboarding process is quick and simple, taking just 1 minute.

Adding Your Own Logo and Style

Once you're set up, the possibilities are endless. You can add your organization's logo to the form, giving it a personalized touch that participants will recognize. Want to match the form's style to your brand's color scheme? You can do that too. Customizing the form's appearance can help create a seamless experience for your participants and maintain your brand's image throughout the feedback process.

Including Additional Fields

Beyond the basics, you have the freedom to add specific fields to gather comprehensive feedback . Whether you need to collect textual responses, multiple-choice selections, or even require participants to upload files, Foyer allows you to do it all. Personalizing the fields based on your workshop's unique needs ensures you're getting the most out of your feedback form.

With our intuitive tools, tailoring this Workshop Feedback Form is straightforward and hassle-free. You can feel confident that the feedback you receive will be well-organized and provide valuable insights to help you make informed decisions for future workshops or events.

So go ahead, dive in and make this Workshop Feedback Form your own!

Understanding the Importance of a Feedback Form for Your Business

A feedback form is a valuable tool that allows you to collect valuable information from your customers. Customer feedback is crucial as it provides insights into their satisfaction with your products or services. This information, in turn, can be used to improve your offerings and enhance customer experience .

How to Use a Feedback Form Effectively

When implementing a feedback form , it's essential to keep it simple and easy for your customers to use. Avoid long, complex forms that may deter customers from providing feedback. Clearly outline the purpose of the form and what you hope to achieve with the feedback you receive.

Encouraging honest feedback is crucial. Let your customers know that their opinions are valued and that their feedback will be used to make improvements. Additionally, consider offering an incentive for completing the form, such as a discount on their next purchase or entry into a prize draw.

The Benefits of Using a Feedback Form

By utilizing a feedback form , you demonstrate that you are committed to continuous improvement and value the input of your customers. This can result in increased customer loyalty and trust in your brand. Furthermore, gathering feedback can lead to product or service innovation , allowing you to stay ahead of the competition.

Obtaining specific feedback on various aspects of your business, such as customer service, product quality, or website functionality, is invaluable. This insight can highlight areas for improvement that you may not have been aware of. It also provides an opportunity to address any customer concerns promptly.

Implementing Our Workshop Feedback Form

When utilizing our Workshop Feedback Form from Foyer, you can benefit from a user-friendly interface that allows for easy customization. Additionally, you will have access to secure file sharing with your clients, enabling the sharing of feedback-related documents in a safe and encrypted manner.

In summary, the implementation of a feedback form can significantly contribute to the growth and improvement of your business. By actively seeking and acting upon customer feedback, you can strengthen relationships with your customer base and make informed decisions to propel your business forward.

Understanding Each Field in Our Workshop Feedback Form

Here are the details on each field and what it's for in our Workshop Feedback Form:

Step 1: "Your Feedback"

• Your Name : This field is for you to enter your name so we know who is providing the feedback.
• Rate this workshop (1-10) : Here, you need to rate the workshop on a scale from 1 to 10. This helps us understand how you felt about the overall experience.
• How helpful was this workshop? : This field allows you to share how helpful you found the workshop, with options ranging from "Very Helpful" to "Not Helpful".
• What did you like most about the workshop? : In this field, you can provide specific feedback on what you enjoyed the most.

Step 2: "Workshop Content"

• How well was the workshop content presented? : Use this field to tell us how well you felt the content was presented , with options from "Very Well" to "Poorly".
• What could be improved in the workshop content? : Share any suggestions or feedback on how we can improve the workshop content for future sessions.

Through this Workshop Feedback Form, we aim to gather comprehensive feedback that can help us enhance our workshops and ensure a valuable experience for all participants.

To learn more about the benefits of collecting workshop feedback using a structured form, check out the advantages of utilizing a client portal service like Foyer for seamless data collection and analysis.

Keep in mind that collecting feedback in a structured manner can greatly benefit your business. Make sure to integrate forms with a secure file sharing system for easy retrieval and data security.

Using a Workshop Feedback Form Effectively

When it comes to using a Workshop Feedback Form , there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. You can use this tool to gather valuable insights and suggestions from your workshop participants. The feedback you collect can help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your workshop, and guide you in making necessary improvements for future events.

How to Get the Form Filled Out

To ensure that our Workshop Feedback Form is filled out effectively, it's important to communicate the purpose of the form to your participants. You can do this by explaining the importance of their feedback and how it will be used to enhance future workshops. Encouraging honesty and constructive criticism will help you gain authentic and meaningful insights.

In addition, consider setting aside dedicated time at the end of the workshop for participants to complete the form. This ensures that the experience and content of the workshop are fresh in their minds, leading to more accurate and detailed feedback.

Tips for Using the Feedback

Once you have collected the feedback, take the time to thoroughly review and analyze the responses. Look for patterns and common themes in the feedback to identify areas that need improvement and those that are highly regarded by participants.

Consider sharing the feedback with your team and discussing potential action points based on the received input. This collaborative approach can lead to effective strategies for implementing changes and enhancements for future workshops.

By using this Workshop Feedback Form strategically, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your workshops and make informed decisions to enhance future events based on participant input.

Enhancing Feedback Collection with Foyer’s Workshop Feedback Form

Are you looking for a hassle-free way to collect feedback for your workshops or training sessions? With Foyer’s Workshop Feedback Form , you can streamline the process of gathering valuable insights from your participants. Utilizing this form through the Foyer platform, you can ensure a seamless experience for both you and your participants.

Streamlined Feedback Collection

When utilizing Foyer’s Workshop Feedback Form , you can streamline the process of gathering feedback from your attendees. This enables you to efficiently gather insights to improve the quality of your workshops. By using Foyer's platform, you can create, customize, and share your feedback form with ease.

Notifications and Secure Data Transfer

With Foyer, you can receive email notifications every time a participant submits the form . This allows you to stay updated and promptly analyze the feedback. Additionally, all form submissions are secured with end-to-end encryption when transferred through Foyer, ensuring the data's confidentiality and integrity.

User-Friendly Interface

Our Workshop Feedback Form simplifies the feedback collection process for your participants. The user-friendly interface ensures a hassle-free submission process, allowing your attendees to comfortably provide their valuable insights.

Comprehensive Data Analysis

By utilizing Foyer’s Workshop Feedback Form, you can access a comprehensive overview of all the feedback submissions. This simplifies the analysis process, enabling you to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement in your workshops.

Compliance and Security

The Foyer platform ensures that your feedback data remains secure and compliant with industry regulations. The platform’s audit trails provide a detailed history of form submissions, interactions, and data access, offering transparency and accountability.

Continuous Improvement

By leveraging the insights gathered through Foyer’s Workshop Feedback Form, you can continuously enhance the quality of your workshops and training sessions. The actionable feedback collected through this form serves as a catalyst for improvement, enabling you to align future sessions with the participants’ expectations and needs.

Get Started Today

• Store Builder
• Donation Apps
• Intranet App Builder
• Education App Builder
• Restaurant App Builder
• Introduction to No-Code
• Help Guides
• App Cost Calculator
• Get Started Now — It’s Free!
• Sign Up for Free

• Event Planning

5 essential workshop evaluation questions to ask attendees

Questions to ask attendees for workshop evaluation

• How satisfied were you with the workshop?
• Would you attend this workshop in the future?
• What was your level of satisfaction with each phase of the workshop?
• What did you think of the workshop speakers?
• What topics would you like to see covered in future workshops?

After you’ve completed all the hard work necessary to run a successful workshop, you might wonder how well you or your organization did in getting your message across.

Until you actually run the workshop, you’ll likely direct all of your energy toward getting people interested and involved so they want to attend. But you won’t know how successful you were or how to keep guests coming back unless you gather feedback with a survey full of thoughtful workshop evaluation questions.

If you’ve gone through the steps to plan, market, and conduct a workshop, the process of setting up a survey will seem easy by comparison. But that doesn’t mean collecting feedback isn’t important. In fact, it’s probably one of the most valuable things you can do to improve future workshops.

Read on to discover the reasoning behind a post-workshop survey and the right kind of questions to ask. We’ll also offer some tips for creating and hosting your survey when you’re ready to send it out.

Just so you know…

Conduct a workshop evaluation online with Jotform . It’s free!

Reasons for asking post-workshop survey questions

Running a successful workshop is similar to running a business. You can put your product together in the best way possible according to what you think your customer base needs, but until you get their feedback, you won’t know how they feel about it.

While packing a venue full of engaged attendees is a great indicator you’ve done well, if your workshop didn’t end up meeting their needs, you might be speaking to an empty room the next time around. Without asking them to answer some workshop evaluation questions, you won’t have any idea why — and you won’t be able to resolve any issues.

To get ahead of things before they become a problem, it’s a good idea to set up a post-workshop survey to send to all your attendees after the event. Here are some of the most essential questions to ask.

5 workshop evaluation questions to ask attendees

Every workshop has a different focus. Some of the questions you ask to determine how well a particular workshop addressed its topic of focus will be different for each workshop. However, there are some general workshop evaluation questions that should be in every post-workshop survey.

1. How satisfied were you with the workshop?

This is the most obvious question, but you should include it each and every time. This will give you a general idea of your attendees’ level of satisfaction and whether your workshop met their expectations.

2. Would you attend this workshop in the future?

While you’ll need to ask more in-depth questions elsewhere in the survey, if your attendees answer this question positively, it’s more likely they’ll come back. If someone answers no, review their other responses to find out why.

3. What was your level of satisfaction with each phase of the workshop?

Here, you can list the different phases and sections of your workshop. By breaking it down, you can home in on what exactly worked or didn’t work, instead of assessing the workshop as a whole. You can offer simple “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” response options or even allow attendees to rank each phase on a scale of 1–10.

4. What did you think of the workshop speakers?

An event like this is only as good as its presenters. Ask your attendees what they thought about the speaker(s), and you’ll know who to bring back for an encore in your next workshop.

5. What topics would you like to see covered in future workshops?

This is one of the most helpful workshop evaluation questions for one-time-only workshops, since you’ll likely get some good ideas on what topics to cover next. You can leave all the structural and logistical aspects of a successful workshop alone and focus on creating new content.

The easy way to build a workshop evaluation survey

You might need some help putting together a survey that includes your workshop evaluation questions. If that’s the case, try one of Jotform’s many workshop survey form templates to get started.

You can use the workshop survey or workshop evaluation templates if you want to use a prebuilt survey template that you can customize and send out. There’s also a dedicated virtual workshop survey template if you’re going to host yours online. You can change the theme and color scheme to match your branding and customize the questions to fit your needs.

Jotform will help you collect your answers and can even share the data you collect with other integrated apps. If you like, you can even print out submissions from a PDF file.

However you’d like to do it, asking the right workshop evaluation questions is a cornerstone to running successful future workshops. Get the feedback you need so you can prepare for an even more successful event in the future.

Thank you for helping improve the Jotform Blog. 🎉

• How To Ask Questions

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide

4 essential things to include in your event planning process

How to host a giveaway

How to run a remote trivia night using Jotform

How to organize baby massage sessions and classes

How to host a virtual conference

How to use Jotform’s free invitation maker

10 top Evite alternatives for 2024

How to make a baby shower invitation in 7 steps

The ultimate event planning checklist

Top 5 online wedding RSVP tools for planning your big day

How to cancel an event

How to get sponsors for an event

5 ways to increase event registrations

7 of the best virtual event platforms

Top 5 event management software tools on the market

How to make a wedding QR code to simplify RSVPs

How to run an online singing competition

How a trade show organizer used Jotform to re-strategize in 2020

20 of the best event apps for conferences

Top 7 Cvent alternatives for planning seamless events in 2024

How to run a golf tournament

Whova vs Eventbrite: Top event-planning tools for 2024

How to run a tennis tournament

60 post-event survey questions to increase event retention

6 best event planning software tools

How to create a realistic event planning timeline

Event planning questions to ask your clients

How to write a reminder email for an event

24 meeting feedback survey questions

8 best hotel reservation management systems

How to become a wedding planner

How to become an event planner

Best conference registration software

Top event marketing strategies and ideas

How to start an online film festival

Event Planning Business Without the Stress

10 Eventbrite alternatives for planning great events in 2024

How to make every event successful with Jotform and monday.com

How to send digital wedding invitations

How to collect memorial tributes for deceased loved ones

9 tips for running a great online workshop

14 of the best RSVPify alternatives in 2024

7 steps for creating an effective event marketing plan

A guide to running your first virtual event

Top 10 film festival submission sites

How to sell event tickets online in 5 steps

How to host an online event

15 of the best event registration software tools

6 ways to use Jotform for virtual holiday gatherings

How to organize a talent show

11 event registration questions to ask attendees

Send Comment :

Published in

Evaluation Form Templates , Forms

FREE Workshop Evaluation Forms – Word – PDF

Workshop evaluation is a process aimed at analyzing the impact of a training program and measuring its effectiveness.

This method is used to get feedback that could be used to improve a program. In addition, it helps you (as an evaluator) to determine if the objectives of the training program were met. 

For example, suppose there is new software you want your employees to use. The first step is to train them to use it by organizing a workshop. You need to evaluate the program’s success at the end of the training. This reveals the performance, impact on work, and return on investment of the software. 

This article will cover the benefits, model, mistakes to avoid, and steps to evaluate a workshop program. In addition, free templates will also be provided, which you can use for workshop evaluation.

Statistical insights: Companies have invested considerably in training their employees throughout the pandemic. This was thanks to the need for remote operations, which led to increasing remote training. Statistics from the Training Industry report indicate that US companies spent about $82.5 billion in 2020. The investment is significant; therefore, the impact must be measured, hence the need for training evaluation. 

Free Templates: Workshop Evaluation Form

Workshop evaluations will only be successful if the respondents provide accurate responses. When the evaluation form is appropriately structured, it elicits adequate responses. In addition, it affects employees’ impression of the organization of future workshops.

Therefore, this website offers free downloadable workshop evaluation forms. Use these free Workshop Evaluation Form templates to get quick and easy feedback from participants in training courses, seminars, or presentations.

Benefits of Workshop Evaluation

The need for developing employee skills has dramatically increased since the pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the effect of the training given to the trainees.

Here are some of the benefits of workshop evaluation:

Boost company performance 

Research shows that when workshop training is effective, it improves employee performance. Skill training is directly proportional to productivity and performance. It can be described as a positive feedback loop. Effective workshops increase employee performance, which optimizes company productivity.

Higher customer satisfaction 

The chances of engagement increase when the employees feel equipped with the right knowledge and tools. According to Temkin Group, 79% of companies that had engaged employees provided better customer service. As a result, there was higher customer satisfaction. 

Make improvements to your workshop 

You can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the workshop program with evaluation. It also provides a vivid picture of the effective methods in the training. Therefore, evaluation helps to make improvements to the training.

Increase workshop ROI 

Statistics show that companies spend a significant amount of money on training. When you conduct an evaluation, it shows the relationship between the effectiveness of the training and employee performance. The benefit of workshop evaluation is that it helps to improve the training methods, which enhances the learner’s experience. As a result, it increases the workshop’s ROI. 

Enhance employee engagement and retention 

Opportunities to grow are the main reasons influencing the decision to stay or leave an organization. When training is effective (which can only be determined through evaluation), it promotes employee engagement. As a result, it optimizes work satisfaction and employee retention. 

Analyze workshop efficiency 

The primary aim of evaluating training programs is to analyze their efficiency. Data obtained can be used to identify learning patterns, which helps prepare personalized workshops. In addition, data from workshop efficiency analysis can be used to make future decisions in the organization.

Enhance credibility 

The data obtained from evaluating the training program enhances the credibility of future workshops. Therefore, it sparks excitement in the employees because they will gain knowledge and improve their skills.

Boost workshop effectiveness 

A survey can be conducted among employees to identify perceived changes after workshops. This helps to identify the positive and negative impact of the training on the employees of an organization. Therefore, the evaluation process brings standardization to the training program. It bridges the gap between objectives and outcomes for more effective workshops.

Keep learners accountable 

Evaluations help to measure the impact of training programs on employees’ progress. When you conduct routine assessments after workshops, keep learners accountable. Therefore, the employees will focus on the training so they will not fail the assessment. 

Models of Workshop Evaluation

There are various models of workshop evaluation. Models use surveys, official certification assessments, quizzes, and case studies to evaluate the workshop’s efficiency.

Here are four models that you can use for workshop evaluation:

Phillips model for training evaluation 

The Philips V-model or ROI model is a practical method for training evaluation . This model has five levels, which makes it a preferred choice.

The levels include:

• Level one- Reaction: The first level of the Philips model deals with assessing employees’ experience regarding the program. This step can be described as a data collection stage. Tools like post-training surveys, pop quizzes, reviews, or suggestion boxes can be used to gather data regarding user experience.
• Level two- Learning: The second stage includes measuring if and the extent of learning that occurred. One way to assess if learning took place is to conduct pre and post-training tests. Therefore, the organization can be certain their investment towards employee training is beneficial. For example, suppose the workshop focuses on learning C++. The best way to test if the objectives have been met is to compare the pre-training and post-training assessment results.
• Level three- Application and Implementation: Suppose the post-training evaluation was not satisfactory. Then, level three tries to find the source of the problem- either the application or implementation of learning. For example, the employees understood C++ but could not apply it due to inadequate software. Therefore, the company can invest in the right technology. 
• Level four- Impact of the program: This model measures the impact of the workshop on the employees and organization. Level four considers organizational and external factors that may affect the effectiveness of the training program. 
• Level five- ROI- Return on investment:  Philips model is unique because it measures the return on investment. Cost-benefit analysis is a tool that reveals if the investment has any tangible results. You can calculate the ROI using the following steps: -Conduct pre-training data to serve as baseline result -Conduct post-training data  -Identify the effect of the workshop on employee performance -Convert the result to monetary values -Calculate the ROI by dividing the “Program Benefits” by the “Program Costs” and multiplying the result by 100%

The Kirkpatrick taxonomy model 

Kirkpatrick’s taxonomy model is a widely applied method to determine the effectiveness of employee training.

This model has four levels, and they include:

• Level 1: Reaction: The reaction level evaluates the responses of employees to the workshop. We want to identify how they feel about the training at this stage. Feedback forms or surveys can be used to obtain this data. 
• Level 2: Learning:  Level 2 evaluates the degree of learning that occurred in the program. Tests are usually conducted before and after the workshop to determine if learning occurred.
• Level 3: Behavior: At this level, the behavior of participants is assessed after the training. This helps to determine if there is a change in participants’ behavior due to the skills and knowledge gained from the workshop.
• Level 4: Results: The last stage involves determining if the training outcomes are satisfactory with the stakeholders’ expectations. You can do this by evaluating the ROE- return on expectation.

Kaufman’s evaluation model 

Kaufman’s evaluation model was developed to improve the Kirkpatrick model. The evaluation consists of five steps:

• Input: This considers the type of materials and resources available to the participants during the training.
• Process: This stage deals with how the knowledge was delivered and how the participants responded to it. 
• Micro-level results: Micro-level results consider whether workshop participants acquired and applied the knowledge to their jobs.
• Macro-level results: Macro-level results evaluate the impact of the training on employee performance. In addition, it considers the benefits of the knowledge acquired to the organization’s growth.
• Mega-level impact: Mega-level impact evaluates the effect of the training program on external stakeholders and society.

Anderson’s model of learning evaluation 

Anderson’s model is fondly adopted by businesses that want to improve overall quality. T

here are three stages of this model evaluation:

• Stage 1:  At this stage, you evaluate the current training workshops against the business’s strategic priorities.
• Stage 2: This stage assesses the impact of the workshops on organizational performance.
• Stage 3: Stage 3 is the final step, determining the best approach for your business. Suppose the ROI is not valuable. You may need to abandon or tweak the training approach.

How Can a Workshop be Evaluated: Step-by-Step Guide

Various models that can be applied to workshop evaluation have been discussed. Here are five practical steps to help you implement training program evaluation:

Step 1: Determine the workshop evaluation level 

Various training programs may require different evaluation techniques. Therefore, the first step in workshop assessment is determining the workshop level. For example, a training program that focuses on about five people will not require the same evaluation model as that which focuses on two or three departments. In addition, the business needs and budget for evaluation may influence the evaluation technique. 

Step 2: Choose appropriate workshop evaluation tools

The second step is to select suitable workshop evaluation tools. You can use a single instrument or combine various tools depending on the evaluation level. When you combine tools, such as using quantitative and qualitative methods, it provides an objective result.

Some evaluation tools include:

• Questionnaires: They are easy to use and relatively inexpensive. In addition, questionnaires can be analyzed using various statistical tools. However, they are often over-used, and the questions may be biased.
• Interviews: Interviews involve a face-to-face question-and-answer session. It allows the interviewer to get in-depth responses to the questions. This tool is helpful for open-ended questions. However, it can be time-consuming. In addition, the respondent may not respond honestly due to the interviewer’s presence.
• Observations: This method involves directly measuring progress by observing employees after a training program. However, it is difficult to get accurate results because performance changes when someone is watching. 
• Focus groups: The employees are gathered in groups of 5s, 10s, or 20s. They have discussions regarding the workshop, and data is collected. The focus group method can only be efficient in the presence of an expert moderator. 
• 360-degree feedback: 360-degree feedback uses several points of feedback. It is a highly reliable method because it involves lots of crosschecking. Regardless, it is time-consuming and requires an expert.

Step2: Make the evaluation form 

The third stage involves creating the evaluation form. Next, you must prepare assessment forms. It could be questionnaires, observations by superiors, or reviews submitted via the suggestion box. This stage is essential because other steps cannot proceed without it.

Step 3: Analyze the collected data

After collecting data from various sources, sorting, and analyzing them, the data needs to be represented appropriately so that the result of the analysis can be meaningful. In addition, the data analysis result helps the organization’s management to make informed decisions regarding workshops. 

Step 4: Report the findings

The last step is to report the findings according to the result of the data analysis. When reporting the findings, it is best to use visual tools like graphs, bar charts, or pie charts. This helps the management quickly identify the relationship between training programs and strategic business objectives.

Some Pitfalls to Avoid in Workshop Evaluation

Workshop evaluation is a systematic process. It will be easier if you avoid some simple mistakes.

Here are some pitfalls to avoid when you are conducting training assessments:

Choosing an incorrect methodology 

The first problem that could arise in workshop evaluation is selecting the wrong evaluation method. As mentioned earlier, the various evaluation models do not apply to all training programs. In some cases, employees may feel pressured when they know there will be assessments at the end of the training.

However, there is no other way to determine the effectiveness of a workshop without evaluation. 

Setting a false training framework 

Another mistake that must be avoided is setting a false framework. The evaluation process often seems simple on paper but becomes challenging during implementation. Therefore, it is best to request ample time to collect data, analyze it, and provide the results to the stakeholders.

Lack of planning and poor timing 

Workshop evaluation requires proper planning. If the planning process for the evaluation is not thorough, problems may arise during the implementation phase. Therefore, planning must not be overlooked because it may affect timing. 

Leaving it for some other time 

Another pitfall to workshop evaluation is that you do not see it as part of the training. Instead, you consider evaluation as an extra event. As a result, plans for evaluation at the beginning of the training program are not included. Therefore, you leave the evaluation process for later, which may affect the results.

Final Thoughts

Training evaluation has several benefits for the organization. First, it helps to assess the relationship between the training objectives and the outcomes. In addition, understanding the various training models helps you apply the best one for your training programs. As a result, it optimizes the effectiveness of the training. Workshop evaluation increases employee engagement, work quality, customer satisfaction, and organizational performance. You can download our free and customizable workshop evaluation forms for quick and easy participant feedback.

Keep reading

13 free student evaluation form templates.

Evaluation Form Templates

15 Likert Scale Templates (Free Examples)

Sheet Templates , Evaluation Form Templates

Free Peer Evaluation Forms & Samples (Word | PDF)

Free employee performance evaluation forms – word, 25+ free presentation evaluation form templates – pdf, word, 12 free presentation evaluation forms (what to include).

Special Offer! Save an extra 25% off with code FLAT25

📞 Call Now:   800.403.6598 Contact Us - Get Started Contact Us

No products in the cart.

Collecting Presentation Feedback to Improve Your Skills

Why is getting presentation feedback so important.

Collecting presentation feedback is probably low on your list of priorities, especially if you’re terrified of public speaking and not making a fool of yourself in front of a group of people is your biggest concern. But having some sort of response system in place so your audience can provide you with feedback on your presentation is an incredibly useful (not to mention inexpensive) way to improve your public speaking skills and become an even better presenter.

Why is getting presentation feedback so important?

For starters, when people provide you with feedback—even if it’s negative—you know they were paying attention. They were listening and watching, and by telling you what they thought of your presentation, they’re giving you input on your overall message, from what you said to how you said it .

That’s powerful information; it’s the best way for you to know if your presentation is doing what you want it to, whether that’s to inform, persuade, or motivate other people. Who better to tell you than the people in your audience?

Choose The Right Response System

Despite its usefulness, speakers continue to pass up the opportunity to poll audiences to get their feedback on a presentation. Certainly, no one wants to feel rejected or be told their presentation was terrible, but wouldn’t you rather be told your presentation missed the mark, than to continue delivering bad presentations that don’t engage audiences?

Not only that, but without presentation feedback, a speaker is forced to self-evaluate. Some will be overly-critical while others will be self-congratulatory—neither of which are beneficial or inspire the speaker to get better.

Offer a Presentation Feedback Form

In our Presentation Skills Training workshops, we talk about the importance of making a connection with the audience, and that connection doesn’t need to end with the presentation.

An immediate response system, such as providing your audience with a presentation feedback form to fill in and return at the end of the presentation is one way to gauge your performance. You can also encourage audience members to use other methods to provide feedback, such as directly to you through temp email , on social media, or online on Google or Yelp. This way, they’re not only helping you by rating your presentation, but their positive reviews will bolster your reputation, which will encourage others to work with you. And they’re staying connected with you beyond the presentation.

If the thought of having people “judge” your presentation frightens you, think about how getting positive feedback will make you feel. If you’re someone who lacks confidence or tends to be self-critical of your performance, hearing others tell you your presentation was inspiring or enjoyable can go a long way to helping you overcome your feelings of inadequacy.

Using Presentation Feedback to Achieve Your Goals

Whatever the situation that’s brought you to the podium—whether you’re a keynote speaker at a fundraiser or delivering a sales pitch—getting presentation feedback can be energizing. Consider how you feel when a manager or co-worker congratulates you on a job well done. You feel invigorated and motived to continue doing a good job that gets recognized.

The same is true of positive presentation feedback: When you know you’ve achieved your goal of connecting with an audience , you’re motivated to keep making those connections—and make them even better.

So what should your presentation feedback form (or other response system) look like? That’s up to you. But however you decide to collect presentation feedback, use the comments you receive to:

• Assess what you are doing well and where you need to improve
• Understand how your message is being received by others
• Direct you toward achieving your goals (e.g., increase your number of sales)

Not All Feedback is Bad

The term ‘feedback’ has earned a bad rap with some people. They hear it and run because they’re afraid someone will say something negative about them.

Not all feedback is negative, and not all of it is positive. But it should always be constructive, and as a public speaker you should want to hear it all. It’s the best way to know what your audience is getting from your presentation so you can improve your public speaking skills.

Do you provide opportunities for your audiences to give feedback? Tell us about it in the comment section or find us on social media and bring the conversation there. We’re on Facebook , Twitter , Google+ and LinkedIn .

16 Comments

I joined Toastmasters a year ago and have had some good feedback and some not so good. Some of the members were in my shoes, really not sure how to evaluate my presentations very well. Feedback is great but I guess it depends on the person giving the feedback.

Self evaluation is always hard to do. I’m a firm believer in having another person critique your work- it’s an opportunity to learn more about yourself!

Good post! I also had a bad feeling about the feedback until I read this post. I’ll be definitely using feedback form next time. I might still feel a bit uneasy, though.

I would like to get some professional feedback on my delivery. I think I will have someone video my presentation and send it to you guys to evaluate it.

I am a corporate trainer and give presentation feedback to our managers. Most of our folks really appreciate having good feedback so they can make their next presentations better.

Soliciting feedback is scary but necessary if you want to improve and I do…very scary though. Good article 

Since I have written feedback forms for companies myself, I know how they work.But reading this blog set me thinking as to how it helps the presenter. I agree with the author that feedback, whether good or bad, definitely helps us in evaluating oneself.

Yes. I agree with everyone who says feedback can be scary-but it can also be helpful. The key is getting people to use constructive criticism. You are also going to have to get used to the occasional remarks from someone who is just being spiteful. Learn to recognize constructive criticism and take it to heart.

I used to take all feedback as negative. I wasn’t able to differentiate “bad” from “constructive”. This greatly hurt me in the workforce and I actually lost my first job fresh from college over it. I have come a long way but I am still learning and things like this help me a lot. Public speaking on any level has never been easy for me but I have always been way too hard on myself. I see that now.

I have never had anybody give me any feedback on my presentations.

One of the cardinal characters of people who want to succeed is the courage to accept valid criticism. Feedbacks must not be good but it is a necessity that will help to know if you rea making progress

Great feedback is absolutely essential to one’s ability to polish one’s skills even as an experienced speaker. Without it, we are unable to assess our strengths and growth opportunities along the way. Who wants to fall into a rut and never improve when called upon to speak? I would say no one which is why feedback is a must for both amateur and experienced speakers.

Good article. Very knowledgeable and informative. I would like to read new articles related to this! I Would also like you to read our articles related personality development and mental health.

Good article. Very knowledgeable and informative.

Your article provides helpful tips on how to collect feedback to improve our presentation skills.

good bro. Thx!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How it works

Transform your enterprise with the scalable mindsets, skills, & behavior change that drive performance.

Explore how BetterUp connects to your core business systems.

We pair AI with the latest in human-centered coaching to drive powerful, lasting learning and behavior change.

Build leaders that accelerate team performance and engagement.

Unlock performance potential at scale with AI-powered curated growth journeys.

Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise.

Transform your business, starting with your sales leaders.

Unlock business impact from the top with executive coaching.

Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Accelerate the performance and potential of your agencies and employees.

See how innovative organizations use BetterUp to build a thriving workforce.

Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours.

Daring Leadership Institute: a groundbreaking partnership that amplifies Brené Brown's empirically based, courage-building curriculum with BetterUp’s human transformation platform.

• What is coaching?

Learn how 1:1 coaching works, who its for, and if it's right for you.

Accelerate your personal and professional growth with the expert guidance of a BetterUp Coach.

Types of Coaching

Navigate career transitions, accelerate your professional growth, and achieve your career goals with expert coaching.

Enhance your communication skills for better personal and professional relationships, with tailored coaching that focuses on your needs.

Find balance, resilience, and well-being in all areas of your life with holistic coaching designed to empower you.

Discover your perfect match : Take our 5-minute assessment and let us pair you with one of our top Coaches tailored just for you.

Find your coach

Research, expert insights, and resources to develop courageous leaders within your organization.

Best practices, research, and tools to fuel individual and business growth.

View on-demand BetterUp events and learn about upcoming live discussions.

The latest insights and ideas for building a high-performing workplace.

• BetterUp Briefing

The online magazine that helps you understand tomorrow's workforce trends, today.

Innovative research featured in peer-reviewed journals, press, and more.

Founded in 2022 to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance

We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion.

Join us and create impactful change.

Read the buzz about BetterUp.

Meet the leadership that's passionate about empowering your workforce.

For Business

For Individuals

16 constructive feedback examples — and tips for how to use them

Giving constructive feedback is nerve-wracking for many people. But feedback is also necessary for thriving in the workplace. 

It helps people flex and grow into new skills, capabilities, and roles. It creates more positive and productive relationships between employees. And it helps to reach goals and drive business value.

But feedback is a two-way street. More often than not, it’s likely every employee will have to give constructive feedback in their careers. That’s why it’s helpful to have constructive feedback examples to leverage for the right situation. 

We know employees want feedback. But one study found that people want feedback if they’re on the receiving end . In fact, in every case, participants rated their desire for feedback higher as the receiver. While the fear of feedback is very real, it’s important to not shy away from constructive feedback opportunities. After all, it could be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. 

If you’re trying to overcome your fear of providing feedback, we’ve compiled a list of 16 constructive feedback examples for you to use. We’ll also share some best practices on how to give effective feedback . 

What is constructive feedback? 

When you hear the word feedback, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? What feelings do you have associated with feedback? Oftentimes, feedback conversations are anxiety-ridden because it’s assumed to be negative feedback. Unfortunately, feedback has this binary stigma, it’s either good or bad.

But in reality, there are plenty of types of feedback leveraged in both personal and professional relationships. They don’t all fall into one camp or the other. And each type of feedback is serving a purpose to ultimately better an individual, team, or work environment. 

For example, positive feedback can be used to reinforce desired behaviors or big accomplishments. Real-time feedback is reserved for those “in the moment” situations. Like if I’ve made a mistake or a typo in a blog, I’d want my teammates to give me real-time feedback . 

However, constructive feedback is its own ball game. 

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is a supportive way to improve areas of opportunity for an individual person, team, relationship, or environment. In many ways, constructive feedback is a combination of constructive criticism paired with coaching skills. 

16 constructive feedback examples to use 

To truly invest in building a feedback culture , your employees need to feel comfortable giving feedback. After all, organizations are people, which means we’re all human. We make mistakes but we’re all capable of growth and development. And most importantly, everyone everywhere should be able to live with more purpose, clarity, and passion. 

But we won’t unlock everyone’s full potential unless your people are comfortable giving feedback. Some employee feedback might be easier to give than others, like ways to improve a presentation. 

But sometimes, constructive feedback can be tricky, like managing conflict between team members or addressing negative behavior. As any leader will tell you, it’s critical to address negative behaviors and redirect them to positive outcomes. Letting toxic behavior go unchecked can lead to issues with employee engagement , company culture, and overall, your business’s bottom line. 

Regardless of where on the feedback spectrum your organization falls, having concrete examples will help set up your people for success. Let’s talk through some examples of constructive feedback. For any of these themes, it’s always good to have specific examples handy to help reinforce the feedback you’re giving. We’ll also give some sample scenarios of when these phrases might be most impactful and appropriate. 

Constructive feedback examples about communication skills  

An employee speaks over others and interrupts in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you can cut off team members or interrupt others. You share plenty of good ideas and do good work. To share some communication feedback , I’d love to see how you can support others in voicing their own ideas in our team meetings.” 

An employee who doesn’t speak up or share ideas in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t often share ideas in big meetings. But in our one-on-one meetings , you come up with plenty of meaningful and creative ideas to help solve problems. What can I do to help make you more comfortable speaking up in front of the team?” 

An employee who is brutally honest and blunt.

“Last week, I noticed you told a teammate that their work wasn’t useful to you. It might be true that their work isn’t contributing to your work, but there’s other work being spread across the team that will help us reach our organizational goals. I’d love to work with you on ways to improve your communication skills to help build your feedback skills, too. Would you be interested in pursuing some professional development opportunities?”  

An employee who has trouble building rapport because of poor communication skills in customer and prospect meetings.

“I’ve noticed you dive right into the presentation with our customer and prospect meetings. To build a relationship and rapport, it’s good to make sure we’re getting to know everyone as people. Why don’t you try learning more about their work, priorities, and life outside of the office in our next meeting?” 

Constructive feedback examples about collaboration 

An employee who doesn’t hold to their commitments on group or team projects.

“I noticed I asked you for a deliverable on this key project by the end of last week. I still haven’t received this deliverable and wanted to follow up. If a deadline doesn’t work well with your bandwidth, would you be able to check in with me? I’d love to get a good idea of what you can commit to without overloading your workload.”  

An employee who likes to gatekeep or protect their work, which hurts productivity and teamwork .

“Our teams have been working together on this cross-functional project for a couple of months. But yesterday, we learned that your team came across a roadblock last month that hasn’t been resolved. I’d love to be a partner to you if you hit any issues in reaching our goals. Would you be willing to share your project plan or help provide some more visibility into your team’s work? I think it would help us with problem-solving and preventing problems down the line.” 

An employee who dominates a cross-functional project and doesn’t often accept new ways of doing things.

“I’ve noticed that two team members have voiced ideas that you have shut down. In the spirit of giving honest feedback, it feels like ideas or new solutions to problems aren’t welcome. Is there a way we could explore some of these ideas? I think it would help to show that we’re team players and want to encourage everyone’s contributions to this project.” 

Constructive feedback examples about time management 

An employee who is always late to morning meetings or one-on-ones.

“I’ve noticed that you’re often late to our morning meetings with the rest of the team. Sometimes, you’re late to our one-on-ones, too. Is there a way I can help you with building better time management skills ? Sometimes, the tardiness can come off like you don’t care about the meeting or the person you’re meeting with, which I know you don’t mean.” 

A direct report who struggles to meet deadlines.

“Thanks for letting me know you’re running behind schedule and need an extension. I’ve noticed this is the third time you’ve asked for an extension in the past two weeks. In our next one-on-one, can you come up with a list of projects and the amount of time that you’re spending on each project? I wonder if we can see how you’re managing your time and identify efficiencies.” 

An employee who continuously misses team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been present at the last few team meetings. I wanted to check in to see how things are going. What do you have on your plate right now? I’m concerned you’re missing critical information that can help you in your role and your career.” 

Constructive feedback examples about boundaries 

A manager who expects the entire team to work on weekends.

“I’ve noticed you send us emails and project plans over the weekends. I put in a lot of hard work during the week, and won’t be able to answer your emails until the work week starts again. It’s important that I maintain my work-life balance to be able to perform my best.” 

An employee who delegates work to other team members.

“I’ve noticed you’ve delegated some aspects of this project that fall into your scope of work. I have a full plate with my responsibilities in XYZ right now. But if you need assistance, it might be worth bringing up your workload to our manager.” 

A direct report who is stressed about employee performance but is at risk of burning out.

“I know we have performance reviews coming up and I’ve noticed an increase in working hours for you. I hope you know that I recognize your work ethic but it’s important that you prioritize your work-life balance, too. We don’t want you to burn out.”  

Constructive feedback examples about managing 

A leader who is struggling with team members working together well in group settings.

“I’ve noticed your team’s scores on our employee engagement surveys. It seems like they don’t collaborate well or work well in group settings, given their feedback. Let’s work on building some leadership skills to help build trust within your team.” 

A leader who is struggling to engage their remote team.

“In my last skip-levels with your team, I heard some feedback about the lack of connections . It sounds like some of your team members feel isolated, especially in this remote environment. Let’s work on ways we can put some virtual team-building activities together.” 

A leader who is micromanaging , damaging employee morale.

“In the last employee engagement pulse survey, I took a look at the leadership feedback. It sounds like some of your employees feel that you micromanage them, which can damage trust and employee engagement. In our next one-on-one, let’s talk through some projects that you can step back from and delegate to one of your direct reports. We want to make sure employees on your team feel ownership and autonomy over their work.” 

8 tips for providing constructive feedback 

Asking for and receiving feedback isn’t an easy task. 

But as we know, more people would prefer to receive feedback than give it. If giving constructive feedback feels daunting, we’ve rounded up eight tips to help ease your nerves. These best practices can help make sure you’re nailing your feedback delivery for optimal results, too.

Be clear and direct (without being brutally honest). Make sure you’re clear, concise, and direct. Dancing around the topic isn’t helpful for you or the person you’re giving feedback to. 

Provide specific examples. Get really specific and cite recent examples. If you’re vague and high-level, the employee might not connect feedback with their actions.

Set goals for the behavior you’d like to see changed. If there’s a behavior that’s consistent, try setting a goal with your employee. For example, let’s say a team member dominates the conversation in team meetings. Could you set a goal for how many times they encourage other team members to speak and share their ideas? 

Give time and space for clarifying questions. Constructive feedback can be hard to hear. It can also take some time to process. Make sure you give the person the time and space for questions and follow-up. 

Know when to give feedback in person versus written communication. Some constructive feedback simply shouldn’t be put in an email or a Slack message. Know the right communication forum to deliver your feedback.   

Check-in. Make an intentional effort to check in with the person on how they’re doing in the respective area of feedback. For example, let’s say you’ve given a teammate feedback on their presentation skills . Follow up on how they’ve invested in building their public speaking skills . Ask if you can help them practice before a big meeting or presentation. 

Ask for feedback in return. Feedback can feel hierarchical and top-down sometimes. Make sure that you open the door to gather feedback in return from your employees. 

Start giving effective constructive feedback 

Meaningful feedback can be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. To create a feedback culture in your organization, constructive feedback is a necessary ingredient. 

Think about the role of coaching to help build feedback muscles with your employees. With access to virtual coaching , you can make sure your employees are set up for success. BetterUp can help your workforce reach its full potential.

Understand Yourself Better:

Big 5 Personality Test

Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

5 types of feedback that make a difference (and how to use them)

17 positive feedback examples to develop a winning team, how to give constructive feedback as a manager, should you use the feedback sandwich 7 pros and cons, become a pro at asking for feedback (and receiving it), are you receptive to feedback follow this step-by-step guide, why coworker feedback is so important and 5 ways to give it, how to get feedback from your employees, how managers get upward feedback from their team, 30 customer service review examples to develop your team, how to give feedback using this 4-step framework, how to give negative feedback to a manager, with examples, start, stop, continue: how to implement this retrospective model, how to embrace constructive conflict, 25 performance review questions (and how to use them), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

3100 E 5th Street, Suite 350 Austin, TX 78702

• Platform Overview
• Integrations
• Powered by AI
• BetterUp Lead™
• BetterUp Manage™
• BetterUp Care®
• Sales Performance
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Case Studies
• Why BetterUp?
• About Coaching
• Find your Coach
• Career Coaching
• Communication Coaching
• Personal Coaching
• News and Press
• Leadership Team
• Become a BetterUp Coach
• BetterUp Labs
• Center for Purpose & Performance
• Leadership Training
• Business Coaching
• Contact Support
• Contact Sales
• Privacy Policy
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Trust & Security
• Cookie Preferences

New allegations on Secret Service security failures ahead of Trump assassination attempt

by MATTHEW GALKA | The National Desk

WASHINGTON (TND) — Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said this week that Secret Service whistleblowers passed along damaging information to him on security failures at the July rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly killed.

“Most of the agents who were there at that rally in Butler were not Secret Service agents, they were Homeland Security agents," Sen. Hawley told Fox News.

Hawley alleges the Homeland Security agents were pulled off other investigations to try and guard the former president.

“Most of those Homeland Security agents, the only training that they received was an online webinar, a two-hour online webinar, and I’m told half the time the sound to the webinar didn’t even work," Sen. Hawley said.

Former Secret Service agent Rich Staropoli said it’s not uncommon for the Secret Service to rely on other agencies, but allegations of poor training are disturbing.

“I have no doubt this actually happened, but to get to the point where the Secret Service has become the University of Phoenix or online Secret Service training is absolutely incomprehensible," Staropoli said.

The whistleblowers' accounts to Hawley follow a preliminary report from Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., claiming the first person to return fire on shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was a local SWAT officer on the ground and not a Secret Service counter-sniper. That’s not what the acting Secret Service director told lawmakers in July.

“The Secret Service counter-sniper neutralized the assailant within seconds after the assailant fired his weapon," Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told Senators in late July.

Critics believe the agency should give more briefings and information to the public.

“Information should not be trickling out, there should be daily if not multi-daily briefings with updates with regards to what happened here and what’s going on," Staropoli said.

Rep. Higgins' report was compiled after he surveyed the shooting site in August. He’s part of a bipartisan task force that will issue a final report before the end of the year.

• A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop

Going from a mere idea to a workshop that delivers results for your clients can feel like a daunting task. In this piece, we will shine a light on all the work behind the scenes and help you learn how to plan a workshop from start to finish.

On a good day, facilitation can feel like effortless magic, but that is mostly the result of backstage work, foresight, and a lot of careful planning. Read on to learn a step-by-step approach to breaking the process of planning a workshop into small, manageable chunks. 

Design your next session with SessionLab

Join the 150,000+ facilitators 
using SessionLab.

Recommended Articles

54 great online tools for workshops and meetings, how to create an unforgettable training session in 8 simple steps, 18 free facilitation resources we think you’ll love.

The flow starts with the first meeting with a client to define the purposes of a workshop. In other words, we are working on the assumption that the facilitator has already been chosen and hired for a job. 

It’s also possible that you are designing a workshop agenda you have ideated yourself. You have a topic to share with your audience, and potential participants in mind: great! You can still use the same process, although not all steps may be relevant to your case.

How to plan a workshop in four phases

We have divided the process of designing a workshop step-by-step into four sections. This structure is inspired by the insightful design methodology known as Dragon Dreaming, as codified by John Croft. The framework is an invitation to move in a structured way from dreaming to designing, from designing to doing, and from doing to celebrating and learning. In this workflow, we will go through similar steps, albeit much simplified and adapted to this specific example. If you find this categorization intriguing and you’d like to learn more, here is a page about Dragon Dreaming project design . The methodology originated in Australia, and you can see a wink to its origin in how the design turns counterclockwise! 

Each phase (vision, design, action and learning) is divided into subsections defining specific actions you need to take in planning your workshop. Each also includes a checkpoint with the client . These four meetings, plus a facilitation team meeting to draft the agenda, are described in detail in the accompanying Workshop Planning Template . In the template, you will find ideas and inspiration for five one-hour meetings in which to:

• draw out the overall vision and desired outcomes;
• define a draft schedule;
• get buy-in for the workshop agenda;
• check-in for a briefing before the actual workshop;
• run a retrospective after the event is over.

I see this process as a dance between working alone and co-designing with a client. In this dance, two different ways of working interact, from being alone at the desk surrounded by sticky notes, to talking things over and getting feedback, into a new iteration of the design, and so on. Successful workshops all start, as most things do, with a vision, and a conversation. Let’s take the first step! 

Phase 1 – Vision

Every project begins as an idea in somebody’s mind, which really starts to take shape once it’s shared with someone else. In the first part of the process, we cover how to lead conversations that will move the idea from the abstract to a more concrete realm. This process starts with a kick-off meeting attended by the facilitator, the client and, if applicable, other members of the team. To help you set it up, we have prepared a dedicated template complete with a workshop structure you can use to collect all the information from this visioning stage!

What are the desired outcomes of the workshop? Who will be the participants or what is your target audience? Once you have some initial answers to these questions, you can use them to shape a concept note, sign agreements, contracts and/or an MoU (memorandum of understanding). 

Sharing intentions

According to the State of Facilitation report, a majority of facilitators find negotiating with clients and stakeholders quite the challenge. In the survey on which the report is based, we asked over 1000 professionals what was hard for them in the previous year. While the top challenge reported was “keeping up with the trends”, a series of matters more related to difficulties negotiating, designing and getting buy-in from stakeholders emerged as well. We hope the following workshop planning tips can help you overcome such obstacles.

Designing based on the “why” is a necessary premise to prepare workshops that will prove meaningful to participants and clients. Often, though, this “why” is not entirely clear from the get-go. A skilled facilitator will use a range of communication skills such as probing questions, active listening, and appreciative inquiry to clarify intentions. In most cases, it’s a matter of slowing the client down, and gently inquiring into their motivations. Run a mini-workshop with your client and transparently share what you are looking for. Time spent on this now will save time and resources by minimizing the risk of misunderstandings and re-writes later! There are four key elements I check for when looking for desired outcomes with the client at this very early stage:

• Non-negotiables. These are the boundaries for your design, the things that are set and cannot be changed. This might be, for example, the duration of the workshop, the location, or the list of participants.
• Tangible outcomes (aka deliverables). What needs to be produced, concretely, by the end of the workshop? Is it an action plan? A set of decisions? A report? Try to get as many details as possible on this requirement. If this point is not initially clear, invite your client to explore the future with their foresight and imagination: at the end of the workshop, what do they want to have that was not there before the start?
• Intangible outcomes. What intentions are connected to the workshop in the immaterial world of communications, connections and emotions? Mark down the keywords you hear your client use. Is it a matter of increasing networking opportunities and connections? Deepening trust? These “soft” outcomes can inspire and direct your choices of activities, setting and style.
• Levels of participation. If you are planning a workshop rather than a training event, I have found it very useful to introduce the concept of the ladder of participation to clients, early on in the design stage ( here is a version relating to citizen engagement ). This involves probing how much power is allocated to participants into shaping future choices. Will proposals selected by participants in your workshop be adopted directly? Is this a consultation process someone else will turn into a decision later? Or, perhaps, the workshop is meant to inform and get buy-in on choices that have already been made? All these scenarios are possible and valid, but it’s important to know which one your workshop falls into, so as to minimize the risk of disappointment or confusion.

Once you have collected this information, you probably have an idea of where you want your workshop to focus. All you need now is to figure out who is it for before drafting a concept note and initial agenda.

Defining the target audience

Once you have clarity about the desired outcomes, it’s time to focus on your hypothetical participants and your target audience. You may already have a list provided by the client, or it may be a completely open invitation. In any case, it’s a good idea to spend some time focussing, after the “why”, on the important question: “who?” Things that can be useful to consider doing at this stage, depending on the specific situation, include:

• Creating a “persona” for the workshop. Who will benefit? What are their needs, pain points, interests? Why will they come? This work will initially be based on your assumptions only, but it could lead to an exchange of information with your client to learn more. Here is a canvas from MediaLAB Amsterdam that can help you create a persona for your event.

Design persona   #frame insights   #create   #design   #issue analysis   Following a similar structure of the Persona method, give your design personality by creating a design persona. This can be through visual design, copy, and interactions. To be used w hen it is time to focus on product experience.

• Having interviews with potential participants that match your target audience to collect more information on their wants, needs and expectations. If you are able to contact participants before the workshop, aim to talk to a few. If key decision-makers will be in the room, it’s definitely a good idea to ask for a half-hour chat with them! 

Start by clarifying that you are talking to a few people in order to better prepare your workshop. Next, kick-start your exploration by asking them what their motivation for attending the workshop is. Listen carefully and take notes! It’s good practice to have a list of questions that will be the same for all your interviewees, but also let the conversation flow naturally. 

End the conversation by asking your interviewee whether they know of someone who should definitely be at the workshop, and add them to the list of potential invites!If time does not allow for 1:1 interviews, you can also consider sending your questions out via email. Finally, check back in with the client to ensure they have considered who should be there and whether any important stakeholders or potential workshop participants are being overlooked. 

In my personal practice, I do hold a commitment to widening representation and will often reach out to my clients with questions, for example, on gender balance or including underrepresented groups. Can we get more women’s voices in a conversation about the future of logistics and mobility? (The answer turned out to be yes!). In this urban planning process, will someone be speaking with the interests of elderly citizens in mind? And what about the children’s? At this stage, it’s also important to start making notes of any special needs. Does your persona include, for example, families with small children? Or people with mobility concerns? These considerations have a bearing on such key planning elements as your choice of venue, location, and timing. Successful workshops are those in which the needs of target attendees are considered and steps are taken to ensure participants can take part.

Drafting the initial concept 

Once you know the “why” and something around the “who” of a workshop, it’s time to start designing the “what”. What is needed at first is some clarity as to the main points of the agenda, not a detailed run-through. The client will probably have more feedback once things start to look concrete, and it’s not particularly fun to have to revisit the entire thing and do work twice. That is why I have found it good practice to keep the agenda still quite open at this stage. An initial concept draft for a successful workshop should contain:

• A summary of the desired outcomes;
• A list of benefits for participants (what are their pain points that this workshop will solve?);
• A list of learning/key objectives;
• A description of the main activities or building blocks of the workshop.

At this point, you’ll need to circle back to your client, share the draft with them and ask for feedback. In my experience, it’s a good idea to approach this step lightly, with curiosity, knowing you have done your homework but ready if necessary to change your entire concept around and pivot to something different.

To learn more about how to create an initial concept draft, find inspiration from what trainers do for course outline creation: we’ve made a summary in this guide.

Signing agreements

By the end of the vision phase, facilitators and clients should share a feeling of commitment and alignment. This is made visible and concrete through signing agreements, contracts and/or a memorandum of understanding (MoU). What exactly these contain varies greatly depending on circumstances and location, but here is a useful summary, complete with template examples of what your MoU might look like, from Malia Josephine over at the startup Facilitation Jobs . 

Phase 2 – Design

So now you have a draft outline of the workshop and an idea of who will participate. The next section is all about the nitty-gritty details of planning. Think of any other event, such as a family gathering or a wedding: there are a lot of things to consider so that everything will be ready when attendees arrive in the space you have designed and set up for them. It can be a very creative phase, if a bit solitary at times for the workshop leader! 

In the design stage, we are aiming to answer the question: how will this happen? This includes choosing dates and venues, drafting an agenda, creating a communication plan so that your workshop attendees will get the invite and join, populating a participant list, and refining your draft agenda into a detailed script. 

Establishing time and place

A workshop begins to feel like it’s really going to happen once the date and location are decided upon.

Whether you are scouting for a location yourself or not, you still need to clarify and communicate a list of requirements clearly. Don’t give anything for granted! List any needs such as accessibility, type of space, and equipment such as tables or presentation equipment. No location is going to be perfect, but the clearer your request, the closer to ideal you might get. 

If you’re running a virtual workshop, you still need to put it in the calendar and arrange for a virtual space to hold it in, such as a Zoom account and a whiteboard space. And if it’s hybrid, you’ll need to do both: scout for a location (with great wifi and acoustics, here you can read more about why that’s important ) and set up online resources as well. If you don’t know yet what kind of room setup you will need, take a look at our detailed guide here.

Once the location has been chosen and booked, make sure you have an understanding with the location manager of how your session will work and what they can expect. Will you be using masking tape to hang posters on the wall? Is that ok? How early do you expect to be at the location, and who will be there to open the doors? Will you need breakout spaces for smaller groups to work in? Will participants be milling around using outside spaces, which, and when? What about wifi use, passwords, and other tech needs? 

Having a persona in mind might help establish a schedule. Is this a personal development workshop that people sign up for as individuals (that will probably mean running it in the evening or on weekends?) Or is it going on at the workplace? When are employees free to attend, and what will not clash with previous engagements? Will it be a one-off thing or a series? Successful workshops take all this into account to ensure workshop participants can actually be there! If you are working on a series of meetings for participatory planning and would like to encourage a diverse attendance , it could be a good idea to switch times and dates around quite often, so that people with different jobs and schedules can fit at least one meeting in. And get a babysitting service, or have someone who works with youth set up a related workshop with the young ones.

Drafting the workshop agenda 

So now the word is out, and there is probably some time to wait before the workshop kick-off. This is the moment to sit down with yourself and work on the facilitation design. For many trainers and facilitators, this is a favorite part of the process. Here is where we create a detailed schedule, choose activities and methods and assemble them into a coherent flow. You’ll seek to create a workflow that balances group discussions, experiential activities and different learning styles in order to meet your workshop’s purpose. Proper planning and a structured process is a proven way of turning a workshop idea into a reality.

The actual process of creating a draft agenda is quite personal. You may be working on it completely alone (hopefully, with a hot or cold beverage of your choice, and plenty of time!) or with a co-facilitator.

Results from the State of Facilitation report indicate that facilitators like to work directly with online tools, such as SessionLab, others, me included, prefer to start with pen and paper… or by taking voice notes while taking a walk!

However you approach the matter, you are likely to do all of these things (and more!), while not necessarily in this order:

• Create a timeline, showing when your workshop starts, ends, and how long each section will last;
• Check your notes from meeting with the client, refer back to desired outcomes both tangible and intangible;
• Refer back to your interviews with participants, or any other information you may have collected from them, to pinpoint main needs and expectations;
• Brainstorm activities you believe will meet the client’s and the participants’ needs;
• Pick among those activities: which are “must-haves” and which are optional?
• Assess how much time each activity will take, and add a bit of buffer to account for the unexpected;
• Check that your activities are diverse enough to include people with different styles and approaches (e.g. by having both individual and group activities);
• Add essential opening and closing activities such as icebreakers and introductions at the beginning and feedback and drawing conclusions at the end
• Arrange them in a timeline;

And whatever you do, don’t forget to schedule some breaks! A successful workshop ensures that the workshop facilitator and all participants are able to participate and maintain their energy levels will learning new skills.

A successful workshop is one with a clear structure that supports the learning process. With the Session Planner , you can easily drag and drop your content blocks to quickly build an effective flow.

Start by creating a skeleton of each item in the workshop agenda. What time does the workshop start? End? How about lunch breaks? What is the main activity I want to place at the heart of things? Next, I can add additional content once I feel confident in the flow. SessionLab makes it easy to eventually shuffle things around as the plan changes .

Refining the agenda

Once you have a solid agenda, it’s time once more to check in with the client. Run through the agenda together, checking that you share an understanding of what is going to happen, and making any needed tweaks and changes as you go. I always aim to share my reasoning with clients and share tidbits of facilitation along the way. 

If you’re using SessionLab, you can invite clients and stakeholders directly to your agenda so you discuss and co-create in real-time or asynchronously. Collaborating in one-place can really help ensure your workshop preparation is smooth and that your session will meet your goals.

Refining the agenda is the subject of the third client/facilitator meeting detailed in the template that goes with this piece. The first thing to do is restate the high-level purpose and objectives of the workshop, before going into a review of details. This process encourages clarity and alignment, as well as enabling the facilitator to check whether the proposed agenda is fit for purpose. 

This is also the stage in which, if I am facilitating a group discussions on a topic I am not familiar with, I’ll be doing research into that topic. Opinions about how knowledgeable, if at all, a facilitator should be about the topic under discussion vary greatly. Personally, my attention is on the dynamics of their conversation rather than on the content. Because of this, I don’t mind working with groups or companies who are talking about something I am not informed about. 

At the same time, I find it useful to have at least a beginner’s understanding of the discussion. To enable this, I will ask clients to send me some papers or links to study. Mainly, I will be looking for jargon and terminology: I want to have at least a sense of what people are talking about and what terms to use myself. I also try and get a sense of what in the field is clear, and what is contested or up for debate. Research can lead to changes to the agenda: in a recent workshop I chaired, reading some documentation led me to assume that terminology being used in the field was still not well-defined. Different stakeholders were using different terms to indicate the same things, or the same term to indicate different things! I checked in with the client to verify if this was indeed the case and we decided to add a section discussing terminology at the beginning of the workshop. We did not aim to settle the argument once and for all, but rather to share with participants the current state of the art in this particular industry and agree on what terms we would use for the duration of the workshop.  This is also a great time to reconsider the implications of your setting. If you’re running a virtual workshop, how will you encourage participants to take part and explore ideas in such an environment?

Creating a communications plan 

Whether you are opening the workshop for participants to enroll or whether it’s the host preparing a list of attendees, it’s likely someone will be working to create a buzz around the event.

Often this is not handled by the facilitator directly but rather by a communication agency or office. That said, do your part by preparing material for dissemination and helping make sure the news reaches the right ears. If you are not doing communication and enrollment yourself, avoid missteps (such as the advertising sending a message that is not aligned with your intention and design) by preparing such a brief well in advance. A basic communication plan for your workshop should include:

• How will people find out about the workshop? Where will it be advertised? Are there networks, groups or individuals that should be reached out to? 
• What should people know about the workshop in advance? Create a one or two-sentence description of the workshop to go out in communication channels and invitations. What is the workshop’s unique value? How can you entice people to be excited to join?
• How will people enroll in the workshop? And how can they find out more? Who should they contact to register, is it you, or the client, or should you set up an automatic registration service (such as Eventbrite )? What information do you need to collect upon registration? Do participants need to sign authorizations (e.g. for audio-video use)? Will they get a confirmation email? Automatically or through you/the client?

Establishing who will be there  (team and participants)

Many hands make light work: now that you have your detailed agenda or script set out, you should have a clear sense of whether other people are needed to make it work. Will you need a tech host? An assistant to help with the practicalities? A video-maker? Photographer? Visual practitioner?  If you need to assemble a team, it makes sense to onboard them once you know the agenda and tasks they will take on.

The other aspect of establishing who will be there is having a final (or “almost final”… there are usually last-minute surprises!) participant list. Registration can also be an interesting opportunity to collect information on your workshop attendees that might inspire some final details of the design. When registering participants for a short (3-hour) leadership workshop for the international organization C40, besides asking for basic information such as names and emails, I added three optional questions concerning people’s motivation for joining, interesting initiatives they might like to share, and a blank space for “any other communications”. This process was useful for me to start to get a sense of who was going to be in the room and adapt my choices and language to the audience. Furthermore, these questions can kick-start the workshop long before it begins by asking participants to start reflecting on a certain topic.

Phase 3 – Running the workshop!

As the moment of running a workshop draws closer, there are some tasks to do that are very practical, having to do with implementing what has, up to now, existed in words only. This is the phase for getting things done : assembling materials, briefing your team and any speakers, taking care of your inner work and preparation and then, in a leap of faith, trusting that all you’ve done is enough, finally doing away with plans, and going with the flow! 

Running workshops can be tough work, so in this section we’ve collected some tips for managing workshop attendees (and yourself) that should help running the workshop easier!

Assembling materials

Shopping time! The stationery shop is like a second home to most facilitators: it’s time to get your gear together and fill up boxes of sticky notes, posters, and marker pens. Now things are getting real! (And if you used SessionLab to plan your session, you’ll find a handy list of materials consolidated on the information page !) As the date of the workshop approaches, make sure you have all the materials you need ready at hand. This might include your presentations, virtual whiteboards, or physical goodies. I have found myself roaming Rome at dawn to get photocopies of materials in a neighborhood with no such services. Not fun! 

I often wonder how important is it to give participants printed handouts. On the one hand, let’s admit it, such materials don’t often get read. Printing is a waste of energy and paper and my sustainable-minded self would rather avoid it. 

On the other hand, printed materials might be a useful reference a long time after the workshop is over, and many people like to have something physical to hold onto and take notes on. You can also consider the option of having digital-format handouts to send to everyone before or after the workshop. 

Briefing team and speakers 

A few days before the workshop, set a briefing call with the client, your team and, if applicable, speakers or other guests. I have sometimes avoided doing this for the sake of efficiency, and usually regretted it. Even though it seems like everything is clear and smooth, by talking a workshop through, even in a brief 30 min meeting, something might emerge that needs attention.

If you have external speakers joining, e.g. for a keynote or presentation, remember they have not dedicated the amount of time and attention to this event that you have! Brief them on the intention behind the workshop and on the participants in the room, and discuss what will happen before and after their speech. As your star guests, they should feel welcome and well prepared. This will improve alignment and the overall experience for participants. When running a workshop with a team, it’s very important to know who will take care of what. Take the time to clearly define roles and responsibilities and add to the script the names of the people who will be, for example, presenting or tech hosting at a given time.

You might also have pre-workshop communication you want to send out to participants, perhaps to remind them of logistics or do some prep work. Always include a way to contact you (or someone from your team) if something happens at the last minute! 

Personal energy management

Once all the design and preparation are done, so much rests on the facilitator’s personal stance and attention. Here are some examples of things facilitators I know, or myself, do in terms of personal energy management:

• No work the day before and/or after an important event;
• Meditation and focussing activities;
• Spending time in nature, taking walks;
• Coaching session with trusted colleagues or a professional coach;
• Taking time to reflect on possible biases and on personal intentions. 

What do you do to prepare yourself before a workshop? Do you take time and space before the start to tend to your own needs? We’ve also been sharing this conversation in SessionLab’s community space: join us here.  

Running a workshop: going with the flow

Step by step, you have now reached this exceptional threshold. People have assembled in a physical or online space, which is equipped with all they need to learn and grow together. The workshop is about to begin! 

This is what all the preparation work was for: take a deep breath and delve into the agenda. Skilled facilitators know how to read the room, trust their instincts, and stick by the plan, or change it, depending on what is needed in the moment, here and now. 

Phase 4 – Learn

The workshop may be over but the work is not! Learning, celebrating and reflecting should take just as much of your time, energy and commitment as any one of the other phases. This is the step where we truly grow and become, with time and experience, wise and excellent facilitators! In this learning phase, we aim to close a cycle mirroring how it was opened. This means continuing a dialogue with our client and making time to think back together. Such reflections are too often swept aside in the hustle of business cycles. Yet, the more space we can make for them, the better. As we learn together, we consolidate trust and strengthen partnerships. Furthermore, reflecting and celebrating builds momentum for the next workshop cycle, which is often just around the corner! 

After the end of the workshop: reporting

Agreements taken with your client might include your contribution to drafting a final report. And even if they don’t, it’s still a great idea, for your own records, to take some time to look back and write up a summary of what happened. It will be invaluable in time, e.g. when two years down the line a client calls you back to know: “Could you do that workshop again?” “What made this a successful workshop and what would you change in any future workshops?” A workshop report generally includes two main parts: one is about information, the other is focussed on learnings.

Report Part 1  – information on the workshop

The first is a collection of data about the workshop: when and where was the workshop held? How many people attended? What was the schedule? 

• Workshop concept 
• Agenda (you can use SessionLab to include a handy printout of the session agenda!)
• Data on attendees (e.g. how many people attended, and whatever data about them is relevant and can be shared)
• Pictures from the event

Report Part 2 – learnings from the workshop

The second part of the workshop report is more subjective. This is the place in which to include reflections on how it went , a summary of key conversations and discussions, recommendations, notes on methodology

• Reflections on the methodologies chosen
• Facilitator’s notes and observations
• Feedback received
• Key recommendations or decisions taken. 

Following-up

Presenting a report, and opening it for final revisions, is a great excuse to set up that precious follow-up meeting with your client. 

Reserve a chunk of time to look back at your work together and reflect: what went well? What would you change next time? This is a time for constructive feedback, expressing appreciation, and really taking care of the relationship. You can find some inspiration on what to include in such a meeting in the last part of our Planning a Workshop template . 

Besides following up with your client, you also may have some follow-up actions to take towards participants. Here are some ideas of what that may include:

• Sending certificates of attendance with the number of hours spent at the workshop and the main topics covered;
• Sending lists of extra materials, bibliographies, and resources ;
• Collecting feedback through a questionnaire;
• Inviting people to subscribe to your mailing list, follow you on social media, or in any case providing ways for them to stay in touch. 

And of course, if you haven’t done it yet, it’s also time to do that bit of life admin and send an invoice! 

Collecting learnings

The follow-up and reporting steps are mostly outward-facing, that is, you are writing for others . While you do that, probably some ideas and learnings will emerge that are about your work and practice. A collection of personal learnings can be the outcome of your own reflection or, if you are part of a community of practice or professional development program, of time spent debriefing the workshop with your peers, coach, or mentor.

I don’t always have as much time as I would like to properly debrief and collect learnings. At the very least, I take 15 minutes to think through this quick “Regret, Celebrate, Learn” process I learned from the Mediate your Life program. To do that, I quickly jot down some notes or a mental map in response to the following three questions:

• Regret – what happened at the workshop that I regret, am worried or sad about? How did I feel about that? Do I know why I did it (what needs was I trying to satisfy?) 
• Celebrate – what happened at the workshop that I really celebrate and am glad about? How did that feel? What needs of mine were met? 
• Learn – with those things in mind, are there any learning points I want to draw and remember? 

I might, for example, regret answering a participant’s question rather brusquely, and realize I did that because I was feeling rushed for time. At the same time, I might celebrate that I did take that person aside to check in with them during the break. This may lead me to remind myself to invite people who have off-topic questions to “park” them on a poster to answer at a later time. 

You may want to add some notes next to certain tools or methodologies you used: most workshops present an opportunity to do something slightly different next time. If you are using SessionLab, you can add these to a certain activity’s card, so you’ll find them waiting for you next time you pick the same method from your personal library . 

Celebrating

Celebrating can mean different things to different people. If I am traveling to/from the workshop, I consider that time spent on the train on my way back, taking notes on my diary, part of celebration. 

Plenty of other actions might help you feel like the circle is closed: taking a relaxing break, going out for dinner with your team members, buying yourself a little gift… whatever helps you keep your energy level high and integrate the experience into the flow of your life. Processing your reflections and giving them some time to settle is likely to lead straight to the next great idea. How about we took this learning from this workshop and did that with it? Time to start taking notes, because these thoughts are the sign that a new cycle of ideation is about to begin! 

Processing your reflections and giving them some time to settle is likely to lead straight to the next great idea.

In closing 

When I asked our in-house designer to come up with the illustration on the top of this article, it felt very appropriate to summarize the complicated process of designing a workshop into a single, perfect circle.

Now that it’s done, I realize it’s really not a circle at all, because once all the work is complete nobody, neither client nor facilitator nor participants, is in the same place they began from. The process of designing a workshop is actually like a spiral , that widens and opens each time we go around. By the end of all these steps, everyone will have changed in some way. Relationships will have formed, new ideas defined, and lessons learned.

At the start of the spiral, there is only an idea, which becomes a design as it is shared, consolidated and refined. The facilitator’s job is to turn it into an agenda, and go through all these steps, alone or with a team, to make it happen. By learning from all that took place, the flow will, in time, become more natural, fluid, almost second nature. My hope in setting it down in this piece is that it will help you along the journey.

How to run a workshop (4 quick tips)

Are you preparing to debut as a facilitator, trainer, or workshop guide in some capacity? Maybe you’re a team leader who’d like to try out more collaborative methods but don’t know where to start? In this guide, we’ve gone through a step-by-step process for the complete flow of workshop planning. We hope it’s all useful stuff for you to keep in mind. But if you just need a quick start guide, here’s a cheat sheet of 4 things you need to do to run your first workshop.

• Be clear about your objective and intention. Every choice expert facilitators make when designing a workshop is centered around the established purpose of the event. Clarify this for yourself, write it on top of your plan, and let participants know.
• Have an agenda. Set out clear timings for beginning, ending, breaks and activities. Start designing from a tried-and-true essential workshop template to speed up your work.
• Make it interactive. Add activities to your agenda to make sure participants have different ways to make their voices heard. If you only know one method, make it 1-2-4-all : it is easy to learn, easy to give instructions for, and allows people to quickly process concepts and start building consensus.
• Collect feedback. However it goes, all workshops are learning opportunities. Ask participants to tell you what they enjoyed (and build on that) and what didn’t work so well (and you might want to change). And get ready to do it again!

What’s next

Want to see an entire workshop journey in action and get help in putting together a water-tight agenda? Explore our workshop planning template to go through a proven agenda design process that will help you dazzle potential attendees.

Looking for ideas and inspiration on what workshops could achieve for you? Read our guide on what is a workshop , check out real-world template examples , or find individual activities in SessionLab’s extensive library of methods .

Does this process describe how you have been designing your workshops? Did it give you new ideas? Leave a note in the comments, and join the discussion in our Community !

Deborah Rim Moiso is an Endorsed Facilitator with the  IAF – International Association of Facilitators and former co-chair of the Italian IAF Chapter.

She is the author of a manual and deck of cards on facilitation available in Italian ( Facilitiamoci! ). Deborah has been working with groups since 2009 in the fields of innovation in education, citizen participation, and environmental conflicts.

That was really helpful! Simple, but with everything that is important. Such a great article! Now it will be much easier to plan a workshop. Thanks!

So glad it was helpful Wik! I really enjoyed reading your comment :) Happy workshop planning!

I enjoyed every bit of Learning with SessionLab. The steps are so simple, easy to read yet covering everything that’s in it to make a great workshop. Thank you very much!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Effective online tools are a necessity for smooth and engaging virtual workshops and meetings. But how do you choose the right ones? Do you sometimes feel that the good old pen and paper or MS Office toolkit and email leaves you struggling to stay on top of managing and delivering your workshop? Fortunately, there are plenty of great workshop tools to make your life easier when you need to facilitate a meeting and lead workshops. In this post, we’ll share our favorite online tools you can use to make your life easier and run better workshops and meetings. In fact, there are plenty of free online workshop tools and meeting…

How does learning work? A clever 9-year-old once told me: “I know I am learning something new when I am surprised.” The science of adult learning tells us that, in order to learn new skills (which, unsurprisingly, is harder for adults to do than kids) grown-ups need to first get into a specific headspace.  In a business, this approach is often employed in a training session where employees learn new skills or work on professional development. But how do you ensure your training is effective? In this guide, we'll explore how to create an effective training session plan and run engaging training sessions. As team leader, project manager, or consultant,…

Facilitation is more and more recognized as a key component of work, as employers and society are faced with bigger and more complex problems and ideas. From facilitating meetings to big, multi-stakeholder strategy development workshops, the facilitator's skillset is more and more in demand. In this article, we will go through a list of the best online facilitation resources, including newsletters, podcasts, communities, and 10 free toolkits you can bookmark and read to upskill and improve your facilitation practice. When designing activities and workshops, you'll probably start by using templates and methods you are familiar with. Soon enough, you'll need to expand your range and look for facilitation methods and…

Design your next workshop with SessionLab

Join the 150,000 facilitators using SessionLab

Sign up for free