I have worked in many courses where the feedback is anonymous.
I understand why. Really yes.
It’s just …
There have been so many times that I would have paid a lot of money to be able to answer.
Here are some options that come to mind:
“This course is too difficult!”
Is not. No, really, it just takes a lot of work and you’re used to being lazy.
“The course expects me to solve problems. I learn best when someone shows me exactly how to do it and I blindly copy it sometimes.”
You don’t learn better that way because nobody does. Once again, you are not used to thinking.
“The course is called X. I hate that name. It should be called Y.”
It’s called Y. I’ve never heard of a course called X. Look, it even says Y in the comment form.
“There should be one-on-one time with the instructor.”
There are thousands of students in dozens of countries. How do you think we do that?
“This didn’t cover anything on the Z topic.”
Correct, that the course description made clear. Did you really sign up for a three-day course without carefully reading the description?
Now, I’m being very selective … and more than a little mean here. The vast majority of comments are fair, whether they are positive for good courses or useful for others.
Still, this feedback leaks out.
And for some of my courses, it was a problem. The smart students appreciated how much I pushed them. More importantly, they would let me know how useful the course was. They would apply what they learned … which is the elusive gold standard in training.
Still, there were a lot of people who hated having to think.
I had to defend these courses a lot. Some wellness executive looking to make a mark would point out the ‘worrying trend’ in the feedback. Perhaps, they would say, I could shut up the whiners by making the course easier (and therefore irrelevant).
I was living in fear of leaving one day and without me to maintain high standards, someone would act on the feedback.
The common response to this is to invoke the Kirkpatrick model. That feedback is only level 1. If the course is as good as I say, then levels 2-4 will show it.
But if you know a lot about that model, you know how difficult it can be to get that feedback.
So what did I do instead?
Did I train a protégé my way, leaving the course in their hands?
Did I slip away, letting my legacy rot?
Nah.
I drowned out the negative comments getting even more glowing reviews.
Students expect courses to be … well, bad. With regards to the industry, that is the default setting.
The best that many hope is that it will be useful.
So when is it useful … and fun, engaging, and amazing?
Well, you think enough delusional fans that only an idiot would hear the moans.
Before I could save my legacy from the entropy of bureaucracy, I had to make it worth saving. Quality matters.