I've read through hundreds of workshop evaluation forms. Most of the responses are a variation on the same theme: The session didn't deliver what the program promised. Why does this response come up time and time again? Meeting professionals work hard. They plan their meetings carefully. They work with colleagues and volunteers to select pertinent topics for their attendees, to find knowledgeable speakers, to ensure sessions are evaluated, to write and distribute a post-meeting report.

What's missing? Most often, it's delivering meaningful feedback to the speakers.
A recent informal survey of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) members of the National Speakers Association (NSA) revealed that they received quality, specific feedback about their breakout sessions less than 40 percent of the time. These are the speakers who are being paid for their work. One can only speculate that the volunteer speakers are getting even less feedback on their sessions. When your evaluation process doesn't include a way to relay the information you gather from attendees directly to the presenter, your system is flawed. That's something you can fix in three steps.

1. Ask your presenters to provide simple learning objectives.
In your RFPs and with your session descriptions, require those submitting proposals to complete this sentence: By the end of this session, participants will be able to…. When you accept speakers, let them know that they will be evaluated on the promises they've made in these learning objectives. In your communications leading up to your meeting, restate this process repeatedly. (For an MP3 discussion, on how to develop learning objectives, contact Cara Tracy at cara@nsaspeaker.org.)

2. Build your evaluation forms around each session's learning objectives.
I know, you're thinking this is going to make things more complicated. You're right, but it will also make your evaluations more meaningful. When you're in the position to give your presenters feedback specific to how well they kept their promises to the participants in their session, you'll both win. They get the information necessary to improve their performance based on the standard they set for themselves and that you promised to measure them by. You'll be able to track how well you've delivered on the expectations of your attendees - and make it a part of your marketing messages to attract attendees to your next meeting.

3. Give the feedback to your presenters.
Giving feedback isn't always easy but it is always important. When you've established a system that promises it from the beginning, allows people to set their own standard to be measured against, and delivers meaningful messages, you've got a process that works. In that same informal survey of CSPs, respondents lamented the fact they didn't get the feedback they craved and knew they needed in order to be better the next time. When you've gone to the effort to collect feedback but don't deliver it to the people who need to hear and act on it, you have missed an opportunity to raise the bar for future meetings. Closing the loop on the feedback process makes everyone better the next time around.

° Chris Clarke-Epstein, CSP, (chris@change101.com), is a past president of NSA and an award-winning speaker, trainer, and author. She has created and presented programs that inspire people to look at their world from a fresh perspective, apply new knowledge, and make change.

These tips should be used for informational purposes and not be considered legal advice. ° The National Speakers Association (NSA) is the leading educational organization for professional speakers. NSA's 3,500 members include experts in a variety of industries and disciplines, who reach audiences as trainers, educators, humorists, motivators, consultants, authors, and more. As a service to meeting professionals, NSA provides resources and information on finding and working with speakers. Please visit NSA's Web site at www.nsaspeaker.org.