During a recent presentation to a group of elite athletes we engaged in a discussion on the importance of being coachable. The best athletes in the world all have coaches and that coachability factor is what allows them to remain at the top of their game.
What about you? How coachable are you?
How do you handle constructive feedback?
In your course evaluations do you ask participants what you could have done to enhance the learning experience for them? Do you use feedback from course participants as coachable moments for you?
How do you handle less than glowing feedback from participants in your class? If you are like me your first reaction is sometimes negative and you want to blame them for ‘not getting it’. When I find myself reacting that way I take a breath, step back from the emotional response and realize three things:
- I asked for feedback and so I have to respect the fact they took the time to provide it.
- For that person I missed the mark in at least one area of the presentation.
- This is an opportunity for me to improve as a trainer and speaker.
In two recent seminars the negative feedback I received in the evaluations was the most helpful as it will allow me to make the seminars better for future participants.
If you say that you never get any negative feedback on your training; that the feedback is always glowing and exceptionally complimentary then good for you. However, consider the reality that you are not getting honest feedback from everyone in the audience. I would rather have people give me honest feedback that will allow me to recognize how I failed them, and provide an opportunity to improve my presentation next time, than have them just walk away and tell all their friends how the training sucked.
On a multiple day course do you solicit feedback at the end of every day, or just at the end of the course. Getting feedback at the end of every day allows you to make adjustments and improve the rest of the course for the people in attendance. Only getting feedback at the end of the course is of limited value and it does nothing to help the people in the course get a better training experience.
In a recruit training program do you get feedback weekly, or just wait until the end of the entire program. If you are waiting until the end you are wasting your time. By the end of training people just want to get out of there. Any feedback they provide is old and is of no value to them as it cannot improve their training experience. Consider getting feedback weekly and making immediate adjustments to the program based on the feedback.
Do you ask people to audit your classes and presentations and provide you feedback? Do you solicit feedback from fellow trainers who will be willing to give you honest feedback on how you can improve.
Seek feedback on:
- The delivery of the material,
- the exercises you did,
- the way you asked and answered questions,
- your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation,
- your handouts,
- the use of videos,
- the sequencing of the material,
- the amount of time spent on specific topics,
- the physical set up of the room,
- the debriefings,
- the explanation of drills or exercises,
- anything that will enhance the learning experience for the people in attendance.
As coaches and trainers we all need to make sure we are and remain coachable.
Take care.
Brian Willis – A Man With Many Questions
At Winning Mind Training we are driven by our dedication to inspiring the pursuit of personal excellence and our belief that every law enforcement officer deserves to experience awesome training.
Excellence in Training is a philosophy committed to helping good trainers become great trainers, and great trainers deliver awesome training. Check out our website at www.brianw260.sg-host.com for a list of upcoming dates and locations for the Excellence in Training Course.
To book Brian to speak at your event or to your officers contact him at winningmind@mac.com.
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