My last article on assessment suggested different ways assessment can be carried out, but why carry out a period of initial assessment before training has even begun? As long as the delegate sees the purpose of Initial Assessment and it is done with the delegate, not to them, the process can be a positive, motivating experience, helping you and your delegate identify strengths and areas for development. The programme can then be tailored to the individual, so that more time is spent on the development needs than on areas the delegate is already comfortable – the training thus becomes more relevant.
One problem is that it takes time to look at the results of initial assessment and tailor the course to the results. However, even short one-day courses can include initial assessment - one answer to the lack of time problem is to compose a short questionnaire to be completed by delegates before the training takes place. The results of this could be used not just to tailor the course to the appropriate level but also give information on which areas of the training to focus more on. The results might also inform how groups are organised, do you want groups where more confident and less confident delegates are grouped together or do you want less confident delegates grouped together on a different session? Having initial assessment information beforehand gives time to think these issues through before you are stood in front of a group of delegates. Questionnaires are far from perfect, however and a thirty minute meeting before the training might give better results in some circumstances. Alternatively, an assessment activity might be completed in the time leading up to the training session. Longer courses benefit from a discrete period of initial assessment, where the delegates’ expectations, past learning and experience are considered.
Another benefit of a period of initial assessment is that it can help justify the time and money spent on training. The initial assessment gives a benchmark, which can be used to show distance travelled, which, as well as being useful for motivating the delegate, shows that your training session has been successful to whoever is commissioning the work. This can't be a bad thing.
image ©Andrey Kiselev/PhotoXpress
Written by Matt Henley.
Matt is a Freelance Trainers and owner of FreelanceTrainers.net. For more information, see www.iconworks.co.uk
