By Mirele B. Goldsmith

Reaction sheets, completed and collected at the end of a program, are the primary means that associations us to evaluate education offerings. These sheets are sometimes called "happiness" or "smile" sheets because the feedback they provide usually makes the instructor smile. If the instructor meets the minimum expectations of the participants, the feedback is generally positive.

In Evaluating Training Programs, Donald L. Kirkpatrick explains two reasons to take reaction sheets seriously. Reaction sheets tell the pariticipants that we take their feedback seriously, and that the data can provide information used to establish standards for future programs.

Generating Important Information

With just a little bit of thought, reaction sheets can be made much more useful and generate important information. A well-designed reaction sheet will provide you with accurate data to provide to management and truly help you to meet the needs of the participants.

I learned this the hard way when I collected a batch of smile sheets that did not make me smile. I had worked had over the course of three years to develop a new program for my association. I knew the program was desperately needed, and I was convinced it was successful. But the smile sheets indicated otherwise.

When I analyzed the data, I realized the reaction sheet was poorly designed. I had adapted a reaction sheet from another program without thinking through what was appropriate for this program. The information generated would not help me to improve the program and would not provide my supervisor with a fair evaluation of the success of my efforts.

What Do You Want To Know?

The most important step in developing a reaction sheet is to determine what you want to know. This is the step I skipped. Experts on evaluation call this identifying your objectives. If a curriculum designer created your program, the objectives have probably not been spelled out. If not, you need to develop realistic expectations for the program. My program was a three-day orientation for management professionals entering our field. I realized that my objectives had less to do with creating session content than with creating camaraderie, introducing the participants to the resources of our association, and inspiring them with our mission. Although the program was constructed to achieve these objectives, the reaction sheet did not address them.

Design Tips

Evaluation experts make several other suggestions for designing reaction sheets:

Balance quantifiable, closed questions with open-ended ones. Closed questions provide numbers that will carry weight with supervisors, may be useful for marketing purposes, and enable you to objectively analyze results. On the other hand, association professionals say that open-ended questions on their reaction sheets generate some of their best ideas for new programs.

Ask only for information you will really use. Based on experience, I have eliminated questions about one-time speakers and events. I never use the information, so there is no point in collecting it.

Test your reaction sheets before you use them. This prevents the frustration of getting a pile of sheets back, only to find that a question was misunderstood or misinterpreted.

Keep your reaction sheets short and attractive. This isn't the time or place for a comprehensive member survey. Check how long it takes for your testers to complete the sheet.

Make reaction sheets anonymous. You want to get an honest response from the participants. If you want the names of the respondents for publicity or another purpose, indicate that signing the sheet is optional. In a small group, everyone should put the sheets in a box or on the instructor's desk. If the sheets are collected, participants may believe that their identities will be disclosed.

Define the standards for success. Having a standard in place ensures that those who receive the information will know what they need to do about it. If the program will be offered repeatedly, having a standard in place will help you to identify problems quickly and take action. Make sure to use the same sheet each time - or at least have some questions that are always included - so you can assess trends and compare the reactions over time.

What's Next?

Once you have a well-designed reaction sheet, your next challenge is to get 100 percent response. This is relatively easy if your program is offered to a small group. You can distribute and collect the sheets before the last session. Never distribute them at the end of the program - the participants will take them home and you will never see them.

If the setting is a large conference, you will need to be more creative. You might even promise that participants who turn in their sheets can gain admittance to a particularly popular session or receive a prize.

If you follow these guidelines your reaction sheets should make you smile and provide you with quality information that will improve your program.

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