Feeling bummed...mixed evaluation by group

-MNC_RN- · Jun 19, 2008

To be honest, it doesn't sound too bad. I always raise my eyebrows when I get a "Fair" since I am so used to seeing "Excellent" and "Very Good". This is not to brag, but rather to say that when I do get a "Fair", I think back at the day and see what it was that was different from my norm.

Sometimes I'm feeling under the weather, sometimes I just don't care, sometimes I realize that I was rushed, or that I wasn't able to explain the way I normally do...

In your case, I wonder (thinking out loud here) if it had something to do with the fact that it wasn't your presentation. Even when I'm familiar with the material, if I didn't actually make it, then delivery suffers. If I were in your shoes, I would see if this "flaking" was going to be happening more often, and if so--or if I just wanted to have my own personal back-up presentation--then I would make my own version, or tweak the original to better fit my thought flow and delivery style.

It sounds to me like you had a good mix of lecture and activity. There are some, though, that hate that sort of thing. Generationally speaking, the older nurses tend to like more lecture and GenX or GenY nurses tend to like more interaction and hands-on. Either way, though, what you describe sounds good to me. Sometimes, there's just no pleasing people.

Personally, I don't think you can figure it out after one or two reviews. If you get "Fair" next time, you might want to look into it more, but every class has its own personality, so you might have just got stuck with a tough one.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 19, 2008

You can make yourself crazy trying to figure out why you got particular evaluations, and trying to please everyone.

Not everyone learns the same way, so no presentation is going to be perfect for everyone in the group.

Who knows, maybe you reminded one of the orientees of her SO's ex-girlfriend or something??

allnurses Guide · Jun 19, 2008

The one thing I hated about teaching at orientation was the reviews. I always got very good or excellent but even one fair or poor would have me in tears.

I do remember one particular group was very difficult to teach, the ones that sit there with thier arms folded glaring at you. I try to be interactive and part of what I teach is practical skills and are mandatory. Asked for volunteers to start the practicals off and noone did so after asking a further 2 times I picked people from the back row pointing out that mandatory means that they have to do it or don't get the attendence tick.

The evaluations said, bossy and rude. :banghead:

Don't worry too much about it, alot of it depends on the group dynamics, and the personalities within that group. I only start to get concerned if there are repeated comments of a similar nature and scores of fair or below regualry now

In fact I wait for my boss to tell me to pull my socks up, and I haven't been told yet so I figure I can't be doing too badly

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jun 19, 2008

I have included the phrase "if you rated this speaker "bad" or "fair" then please indicate what could have been done to improve the presentation.

If they rate low and do not elaborate I do not consider the rating valid. I feel they are probably voting on whether they enjoyed sitting there till their butt was numb.

SoxfanRN · Jun 21, 2008

Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the evaluations. I can tell a joke one class with rave reviews then tell the same joke to another group and hear crickets chirping above the silence. Many things factor into evaluations: the variability of your group, time of presentation (after lunch or at the end of the day is rough), environment, expectations, etc. Like sharrie said, if it becomes consistent, then you should really look at what you're doing to change something. If you are new to this, you will also find it maddening when your orientees deny learning things that you know you covered.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

I normally look at all of the evaluations and look at the "really good" and "really bad" reviews and try to not take it personally and realize that each one may have some valid points.

otessa

WineCountryRN · Jun 24, 2008

thanks for all of your support. yup, I want to it be GREAT and it is hard when I am trying to teach a flight nurse about a crash cart (NOT) and a person that just transferred from environmental services to patient care. Hard to please the masses. I will be sure to say at the beginning of the orientation, or at least stress the importance of comments both positive and negative. I think I was feeling extra bummed b/c of the flaker...it takes so much to organized the speakers and students and to find myself standing up there trying to read slides that don't even match the handout in their binders. Off subject a bit but when I left patient care and went to education, my co-workers asked me "What do you do there?". If they only knew...and at times,how I want to go back the safe familiar waters of direct patient care. again, I appreciate your sweet words. PS, The nursing students that I teach once a week love the hands on experiences and thrilled to have a lesson that isn't just slides projected on a screen.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jun 27, 2008

LoveYaBabe,

I have been a nurse educator for a looooong time - and I feel good about telling you - IGNORE THAT FEEDBACK.

In the Education world, we use Don Kirkpatrick's 4 Levels of evaluation . Level 1= reaction; Level 2=objectives; Level 3=transfer; Level 4=organizational impact. What you are referring to is the reaction level.... very unimportant. It makes no difference if they 'like' you or not; if they 'like' the food, the room, the comfy chair - you get the drift.

The evaluations that ARE important are level 2 & 3. Level 2- did they achieve the learner objectives? Now, that is important stuff. Level 3 - were they able to do the 'stuff' they learned when they got back to their departments? That is important.

Our 'customers' are the organizational decision makers - who pay our salaries & support our departments. The participants are 'consumers' of our services. It's great if they are happy also, but don't forget that results are what matters in education.

Level 1 evals -- never read them & I never provide this info to any of my speakers unless it is good.

dorimar, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2009

I have included the phrase "if you rated this speaker "bad" or "fair" then please indicate what could have been done to improve the presentation.
If they rate low and do not elaborate I do not consider the rating valid. I feel they are probably voting on whether they enjoyed sitting there till their butt was numb.

This is exactly what I learned in my practicum for my MSN program. I got very good reviews on my presentation. However, I only got rated 4 (out of 5) on meeting one if the objectives (by two different nurses). This wasn't bad considering there were 25 evals and only 2 items on the entire evals were given less than 5 out of 5. However, even though I had a section asking for anything that could be improved, no one offered anything here. I racked my brain on hwhat I did wrong and how I could have done better. I learned that I will always add, "If any area was rated less than 5, what could have been done differently to improve this rating"?

rn/writer, RN · Mar 1, 2009

I learned that I will always add, "If any area was rated less than 5, what could have been done differently to improve this rating"?

This is a good practice.

When I have done presentations, I have asked, "What, if anything, would you do differently to improve this class?" The responses may give you valuable feedback and good ideas. They may also tell you the mindset of the responder and how much credence to give them.

If the answer is, "eliminate it," or, "cut it to fifteen minutes," or, "pass out Hershey bars," you can surmise that you are dealing with someone who just didn't want to be there, period. I wouldn't worry too much about that attitude, as there is little, short of canceling the class, that would please such a person.

When you get serious answers, such as, "Provide a handout of the most important points," or "Speak slower and louder," you can focus on specific actions (and their possible remedies) rather than whether people liked or didn't like you.

It doesn't pay to take these things personally, especially when you have such a wide-ranging group that, by its very nature, will include people with varying levels of investment in being there. You only set yourself up for disappointment and harsh self-criticism if you don't place limits on what you will absorb. Asking for specific feedback with suggestions for improvement should help you distinguish between whiners and those with legitimate criticism. In neither case should you allow yourself to make it about you, only about what was done or not done.

I wish you the best.