I’ve been speaking at conferences and training technology folks for over 20 years. During that time, I’ve probably delivered over a thousand talks and hundreds of workshops.
Early on, I cared deeply about the scores I received from attendees. Of course, I was always looking for perfect 10s from everyone. But an average score in the 9s was usually ok with me.
I would review all of the feedback forms as well. And, if I saw an outlier, such as a 3 or 4, I’d become obsessed. It would influence how I felt about the whole class. A few times I tracked down the person giving me the low score and interrogated them as to why. I even tried to negotiate a higher score with them right there on the spot.
You get the idea. I was incredibly focused on the grades as a measure of the value delivered in the class.
Fast Forward
Over time, I’ve softened on grades. I’m not going to say I don’t care anymore, but I’ve come to realize that there is more to each of my classes then a numeric valuation. I also realize that no class, and I mean no class, can make everyone happy. That is, perfect 10s are virtually not achievable AND they’re not a good goal.
So, I began to reframe my focus on each class.
Now I try to focus on the experience, the connection, and the deeper learning. In many cases, I try to challenge the status quo in classes and argue positions that many find uncomfortable. Knowing that it can potentially impact my grade. But knowing that I was there to share towards my own goals, even if it wasn’t always what attendees enjoyed hearing.
Mary Thorn
About 5-8 years ago, I started to pair with folks in my presentations. And that has become my favorite way to share nowadays. One of the first people I started co-presenting, and one of my favorites, is Mary Thorn.
I bring that up because Mary also focuses relentlessly on grades. I kid her about it all the time.
When they’re collecting evaluations at the end of the class, Mary always rushes back to check each grade. If everything is 8s – 10s, then things are ok. But all hell breaks loose if there’s anything below a 5 ;-)
Mary is still on her own path deciding what are the most valuable outcomes from training and I simply smile at the difference between the two of us.
What is the most important?
So, Bob, if it’s not the evaluations, what is most important?
I’m not sure if it’s a single thing. I think it’s more of a collection of outcomes from a great learning experience. Some of the things I think about are—
Creating relationships and connections;
Challenging assumptions and myths;
Walking my talk, i.e. modeling examples;
Leaving attendees thinking & reflecting;
Telling memorable stories;
And of course, yes, the evaluations count ;-)
In the end, I want people thinking about me and my class (presentation, workshop, webinar, etc.) months and maybe even years later. This isn’t my ego, but my vision and intent for any experience with me. I want it to be influential and memorable. I want it to have an impact on them. I’d like them to become changed in some way for the better.
Even if it’s something like—
You know I tried what Bob Galen suggested and he’s full of shit. It didn’t work as advertised. But in that experience, I learned what does work for me.
I don’t own these outcomes, that’s for the attendees. But I have this as my vision and intent for each and every workshop or talk that I share nowadays.
Wrapping Up
So, how did I do? Evaluate the merit of this article. But keep it to yourself, because I don’t want to know it anyway.
Seriously, please consider (1) your grade versus (2) your impact in everything you do. I lean towards the latter and hope that you’ll start to consider it as well.
Stay agile my friends,
Bob.