Training feedback form.
A short post-training feedback form that captures what landed, what didn't, and what the participant will actually do differently. Replaces the smile-sheets that never get read.
TRAINING FEEDBACK FORM Course: ________________________ Date: ____________ Instructor: ________________________ Participant: ________________________ (or anonymous: [ ]) 1. Content (1 = poor, 5 = excellent) Relevance to my role: 1 2 3 4 5 Depth of coverage: 1 2 3 4 5 Applicability: 1 2 3 4 5 One sentence of evidence for the ratings above: ____________________________________________…
What's inside the document.
Course title, date, instructor, participant. Anonymised where appropriate.
Three rating items — relevance, depth, applicability. 1 to 5 scale with one mandatory sentence of evidence.
Instructor effectiveness, materials, format. Same scale with evidence.
Free-text: two or three things the participant will do back at work as a result. The only question that actually matters.
Free-text: what the participant would change about the course. Direct feedback for the next cohort.
Optional: consent to a 30-day follow-up to check whether the 'what I will do differently' actually happened.
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — print or share with managers
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
Three formats, one document.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
5 steps from download to use.
- 01Send the form within 24 hours of the training — completion drops sharply after that.
- 02Keep it to one page. Long evaluation forms produce shallower answers.
- 03Read the 'what I will do differently' answers as the primary signal; ratings are secondary.
- 04Aggregate ratings across cohorts; pull common 'didn't work' themes for the next course iteration.
- 05Run the 30-day follow-up where consent is granted — the gap between intention and behaviour is where most training fails.
The right document at the right moment.
Use after every formal training event — internal course, external workshop, conference attendance. The form takes 5 minutes to complete and produces signal worth far more than the time.
Don't use the form for very short informal sessions (15-minute internal demos, lunch-and-learns) — feedback is better captured verbally at the end. Reserve the form for sessions worth measuring.
Honest answers before you download.
- How do I get participants to complete it?
- Send within 24 hours. Keep it to one page. Show participants in the next cohort's communication that the feedback drove a change. Three things; the rest is willpower.
- Should it be anonymous?
- Often yes — anonymity raises honesty. Sometimes no — when you want to run a 30-day follow-up with the participant. Make the anonymity choice explicit on the form.
- What's the 30-day follow-up?
- A 5-minute check-in with the participant 30 days after the training to see whether the 'what I will do differently' actually translated to behaviour change. The follow-up is the only way to measure real training effectiveness.
This training feedback form template is a professionally drafted starting point and is not legal advice. The clauses follow current US and AU practice; adapt the document for your specific jurisdiction and have qualified counsel review any clauses you add before signing or distributing. Full disclaimer.