30+ training survey questions and best survey design practices
Use these example training survey questions and design tips to create impactful and transformative surveys.
The world is changing rapidly with new technologies and globalization, making learning and development a higher priority than ever.
Most people have taken some form of knowledge and skills training in their lifetimes. New employees attend new hire training to acquire the skills they need to navigate their new workplace. A job function may require extra training to develop new skills or refresh existing ones for certification.
Training differs significantly from traditional courses, with participants expecting immediate improvements in their abilities after sessions. Surveys are essential tools for measuring training effectiveness and participant engagement. With the right training survey questions, you can assess your training effectiveness and where adjustments are needed.
What is a training survey?
Training surveys collect feedback from participants before and after sessions, allowing you to assess effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. You can also use the data to improve future training.
- Pre-training surveys can measure the participants' existing knowledge or help manage expectations for the training sessions. The survey data can help you plan that training material and assist with implementation.
- Post-training surveys help you see if your training sessions met expectations, provided value to participants, and whether it was effective.
- Training feedback survey questions collect detailed feedback about the training session itself.
- Training effectiveness survey questions assess whether the course content achieved its intended outcomes and had a lasting impact.
Why training surveys matter
Training surveys for organizations and employees offer a host of benefits. They allow organizations to improve their training programs and retain effective employees. The reality is that your employees want quality training.
According to a SurveyMonkey Audience survey, roughly 86% of employees say that job training is important to them. Most employees are even willing to spend out-of-office time on training. Your programming needs to be incredibly effective to properly take advantage of this training opportunity.
These surveys help you gather feedback, measure effectiveness, and shape future training initiatives. Training surveys:
- Invest in employee knowledge
- Gather measurable learning outcomes
- Track how training impacts employee performance
- Pinpoint areas in need of improvement
- Increase employee engagement
30+ training survey questions examples
Identifying what questions to ask in a training survey is challenging. These questions must be tuned to your audience and deliver actionable data. Use the following example questions to create effective surveys.
1. Pre-training survey questions
Pre-training survey questions assist you in gathering information on running successful training sessions. You’ll find out:
- What training is needed, and if there knowledge gaps you need to fill
- The learning expectations participants have to align training with their expectations
- Demographics of the group you are presenting to, such as whether they work full or part-time, job title, and job duties
- What special needs participants may have that require assistive equipment or training delivery
- Preferences for how you instruct the training, such as video for visual learners, lectures for auditory learners, and demonstrations for tactile learners
- Knowledge gaps with the training material so you can focus on areas for improvement and avoid redundancies
Demographics help you understand your audience, their available time commitment, and their place in your organization. It is unnecessary to ask intrusive demographic questions such as ethnicity, gender identification, or age unless they are relevant to the training subject.
With this information, you can structure your training appropriately to effectively meet the needs of your group.
Example pre-training questions
- What do you hope to learn from this training?
- Rate your current confidence level in using [specific skill/tool].
- Have you previously attended similar training sessions?
- Do you work full-time or part-time?
- If there is one thing you’d like this course to cover, what would it be?
- Are you a visual learner?
- Do you prefer to learn via lectures or hands-on sessions?
- Do you require any additional support or accommodations to take this training?
2. Post-training survey questions
Post-training surveys measure the outcomes of your training sessions. You can determine if you fulfilled your training goals and use the data to inform your next training. Analyzing your post-survey data will offer valuable insights into planning future training sessions.
With a post-training survey, you’ll discover:
Which trainings were popular
If a particular training is well-attended or positively rated by attendees, evaluate whether it is a necessary part of your training schedule. Popular training can be updated and offered more regularly. For this, simply ask: