How Do You Measure Soft Skills Training Success Over Two Years? Seeking Evaluation Ideas

Dear All,

We conduct soft skills training for students pursuing a management course. We want to evaluate the effectiveness of the training over a period of 2 years. We are also supposed to evaluate each student individually and assign them marks based on their performance. Unlike other subjects, in soft skills, we cannot have a standard question paper-based examination.

Parameters for Evaluating Students and Training

Can anybody suggest parameters for evaluating the students and the training? I would appreciate it if you could think of various instruments that can be used to evaluate students. The topics that we cover include business communication, interpersonal skills, time management, stress management, leadership skills, team building, group discussion skills, and interview-facing skills.

Regards.

Using 360-Degree Feedback for Evaluation

360-degree feedback could work for some of the categories. Conduct evaluations before and after the training, then compare the results. You could structure your training to test individuals before conducting the learning aspect and then use a similar routine at the end. I guess it depends on the budget you have available.

Col
www.colbrown.co.uk

Have you ever considered using a 360-degree feedback form to be completed by each of your students on each other at the conclusion of the training session?

A bit too late for this reply but here it is.

Challenges in Evaluating Soft Skills

Soft skills, in my opinion, are the most difficult to evaluate, whether it is pre or post-evaluation, but they can be assessed.

Methods for Evaluating Soft Skills

To begin with, there are paper-pencil tests that can be purchased off the shelf to conduct a scientific evaluation of soft skills. For a more comprehensive evaluation, you can collaborate with consultancies that provide training and have validated tests. These evaluations could range from role plays to paper-pencil tests, games, etc. (all of which can be quantified).

In-House Evaluation Strategies

If you want to keep it in-house, I would suggest listing down the objectives and then devising parameters with which one can evaluate them. Not that I am shirking from providing parameters, but it would be more beneficial if they stem from the specific objectives.

Beyond Campus Evaluations

In my opinion, training evaluation does not end at your campus. Apart from the assessments conducted in controlled environments on campus, there should be a way of tracking students transitioning into the corporate world. Sometimes, the initial interview hit ratio may be an indication, but in isolation, it could be a false one.

Hope this has been of some use?

Dear friend,

There are many standard formats for collecting and evaluating feedback and for measuring effectiveness (of learning, process) — but most of them are to reinforce confidence in the process, the organizer, or the trainer, and sometimes for measuring or monitoring the learning that is expected to take place and be retained after a period.

In any case, it has to be incorporated well in advance into the design of the training and needs to be followed up well after the trainers and trainees have returned to their respective worksites.

Interested Parties

For your reference, I am mentioning the list of interested parties:

1. Trainer
2. Training manager
3. Trainees
4. Boss or team members of the trainee
5. CEO or Training Head or HR Head
6. Finance or any other expense-approving authority
7. Subordinates, peers, and family members of the trainee

The last group may seem unusual, but it is relevant for programs related to interpersonal relations, assertiveness, family/work balance, stress management, retirement, induction training, etc.

Please also remember the funny realities: most people forget the name of the trainer(s) after listening to them for a few hours/days. Many also forget the course name or fail to locate the course materials after a week. So, provide all information to the person while sending forms and seeking inputs. It is common that the facilities do not function in time for the presentation, and course objectives need to be changed in between for many reasons. So, keep provisions for such eventualities. Add two points on refreshments and accommodation in the feedback — as many people like to write a special note if this is not included in the form.

Hope others will provide you with additional points. I do have a few formats, and they are available on request.

Regards.

Hi Unknown,

The effectiveness of soft skills training cannot be judged immediately after its completion because you cannot change anybody's behavior and attitude by training them for a few minutes. The best way to judge its impact is by defining parameters in terms of the kind of training and evaluating the trainees against them by conducting 2-3 follow-up sessions. Then, you can actually observe the change in behavior/attitude of a person (some time should be given to trainees to implement the thoughts imparted to them during training).

I hope you understand the idea behind my statements.

Best Regards,
Upasna Kaushik

Dear Guest,

We at our organization use the following evaluation criteria for measuring training effectiveness, and this is working well without involving much investment. The criteria are as follows:

1. For every module, we have already developed a controlled subject matter that is timely updated by the concerned champions.
2. We have also developed pre- and post-questionnaires for these modules.

To measure effectiveness, we closely monitor the results of the pre- and post-questionnaires. After fifteen days, we organize a session on the same topic, and the participants have to present the same. Based on a joint evaluation of their performance, we certify their skill matrix.

Hope the above information will be helpful to you.

Regards,
Ashok Kumar
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Can you tell me how I can implement the 360 feedback to evaluate the training? Thank you.

Because so far, I just know that 360 feedback is for job performance.