Chapter 12

Assessments

What’s in This Chapter

•  Four assessments to use in the workshop sessions or as professional development

•  Instructions on how and when to use the assessments

Assessments and evaluations are essential components of any workshop—before it begins, as it goes on, and when it concludes. To prepare an effective workshop for participants, you have to assess their needs and those of their organization. Although a formal needs assessment is outside the scope of this book, Chapter 5 provides information on how you can identify participant needs.

Using assessments during the workshop helps participants identify areas of strength and weakness, enabling them to capitalize on their strengths and improve their weaknesses to become more effective in the workplace. Assessments 1 and 3 will help participants reflect on their interpersonal skills and listening skills, respectively. Assessments can also be used during the workshop to check in on participants’ learning so that you can make any needed adjustments as you go.

Assessment 2 provides a workshop evaluation that you can distribute at the end of your sessions to help you continually improve your workshop facilitation. Assessment 4: Facilitator Competencies provides an instrument to help you manage your professional development and increase the effectiveness of your training sessions. You can use this tool in several ways: as self-assessment, end-of-course feedback, observer feedback, or as a gauge for tracking professional growth with repeated ratings.

The assessments in this chapter provide instructions on how to complete the assessment and when to use it in the course of the workshop and an explanation of the assessment’s purpose. See Chapter 15 for complete instructions on how to download the workshop support materials.

Assessments Included in Project Management Training

Assessment 1: Interpersonal Skills Quick Assessment

Assessment 2: Workshop Evaluation

Assessment 3: Listening Skills Quick Assessment

Assessment 4: Facilitator Competencies