What do we mean by feedback from participants?
___Feedback from participants consists of reactions to, opinions about, and/or information on what you do from those to whom it’s offered or who benefit from it
Feedback may be:
___Positive, negative, or neutral
___Objective or subjective
___Enhanced by knowledge of community history, personalities and relationships, culture, etc.
___Limited by lack of knowledge, information, or understanding
___Solicited or unsolicited
___Direct or indirect
Why do you need feedback from participants?
___It’s part of being customer-centered
___It gives you tools to improve your program
___It allows you to respond to changes in the community, the population, or the situation
___It can give you information about the history of the community, the history of your issue in the community, or the history of your population
___It can inform you about personalities and relationships in the community and/or the population you’re working with
___It can tell you when your methods or approach aren’t working
___It can tell you when you’re treating people in ways that make them feel uncomfortable, angry, or otherwise disrespected
___It can help you deal with what’s important to participants, even though that may not be your major goal
___It can assure that your objectives make as much sense for participants as they do for you
Who are participants that can offer feedback?
___Adults and teens with no intellectual, psychological, or social barriers
___People with mental illness
___Children
___At-risk or troubled youth
___Developmentally delayed or retarded teens and adults
___Speakers of other than the majority language
___People who have left the program
When might you ask for feedback from participants?
___Before you begin an effort (Plan)
___As you develop a program, initiative, or intervention (Do)
___Before you implement your plan (Check)
___While the work progresses and in evaluating it (Act)
___In making adjustments and starting the cycle again (Analyze)
What are some methods for obtaining feedback from participants?
___Surveys
___Individual interviews
___Small group interviews and focus groups
___Town meeting or whole-program format meetings
___Journals
How can you increase your chances of getting good feedback?
___Guaranteeing anonymity
___Explaining why you need feedback, and how you’ll use it
___Being clear about exactly what kind of feedback you want
___Sharing the results with participants
How do you use feedback from participants?
___Use it to understand the needs of the community
___Use it to respond to changes in the situation of participants, the community, the political climate, etc.
___Use it to improve your program by responding to the need for change in attitudes, methods, content, etc.
___Use it to create or strengthen an organizational culture that encourages and welcomes feedback, and uses it well