A training evaluation workshop teaches L&D professionals to measure training's effect on reaction, learning, behaviour and business results. Bodhih's 2-day workshop, or four 3-hour virtual sessions, covers the four evaluation levels, Level 5 ROI calculation, isolating training effects and reporting impact to stakeholders, with spreadsheet labs built on participants' own programs.
- Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, customised to your team
- Level: Advanced · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: four levels of training evaluation, training roi workshop, training roi calculation, measuring training effectiveness
Where and how: training evaluation certification as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why training evaluation has moved up the agenda
Leaders now ask the same question of learning budgets as of any other spend: what did it change? Satisfaction scores and completion rates rarely answer that question.
Most teams know the four evaluation levels but stop at Levels 1 and 2 because behaviour and results feel hard to measure. This training evaluation workshop makes Levels 3 and 4 practical, starting with the design of the program itself.
ATD research cited by Devlin Peck found only 35% of 199 surveyed organisations evaluated business results at Level 4.
What participants will be able to do
Plan evaluation up front
Start with business outcomes and work backwards, so evaluation is built into the program design from day one.
Measure all four levels
Design practical instruments for reaction, learning, behaviour and results that fit your programs and budget.
Calculate ROI credibly
Apply the steps of a Level 5 ROI calculation, including converting data to money and counting fully loaded program costs.
Isolate the effect of training
Use control groups, trend analysis and participant estimates to separate training impact from other factors.
Report to the business
Turn evaluation data into a short, credible impact story that senior leaders and finance teams will trust.
Build an evaluation strategy
Decide which programs deserve deep evaluation and create a practical, tiered measurement plan for the year.
Who should attend
- L&D managers and heads of training who report on impact
- HR business partners who sponsor learning programs
- Instructional designers who want to design for measurable outcomes
- Learning analytics and L&D operations professionals
- Trainers who want evidence that their sessions change performance
- Program owners in sales, operations and leadership academies
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Why evaluation fails and how to fix itModule 1 · 90 min+
- Common traps: happy sheets, vanity metrics and late planning
- Evaluation as part of ADDIE, not an afterthought
- Agreeing success measures with stakeholders before design
- Choosing which programs need deep evaluation
02Levels 1 and 2 done wellModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Level 1 surveys that predict application, not just satisfaction
- Level 2 tests, skill demonstrations and confidence ratings
- Writing valid questions and rubrics
- Lab: redesign a feedback form and a post-test
03Level 3: measuring behaviour changeModule 3 · 2.5 hours+
- Defining critical behaviours with managers
- Observation checklists, 360 pulses and performance data
- Timing: why behaviour is checked weeks, not days, later
- Required drivers that support on-the-job application
04Level 4 and business resultsModule 4 · 2 hours+
- Linking behaviours to leading and lagging KPIs
- Working with business data you already have
- Isolation methods: control groups, trends and estimates
05Level 5: calculating training ROIModule 5 · 2.5 hours+
- The five levels and the ROI process model
- Converting data to monetary value
- Fully loaded costs, benefit-cost ratio and ROI percentage
- Lab: calculate ROI for a sample program
06Reporting and storytelling with dataModule 6 · 90 min+
- A one-page impact report leaders will read
- Chain of evidence from learning to results
- Presenting intangible benefits honestly
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day workshop helps L&D teams answer the question leaders now ask of every learning budget: what did it change? Each participant brings one current program and leaves with a complete evaluation plan and working instruments for it. They agree success measures with a mock business sponsor, redesign a feedback form and a post-test, build a behaviour observation checklist, isolate training's effect in a spreadsheet lab, calculate ROI with fully loaded costs and present a one-page impact story to a sceptical finance panel.
Participants can agree success measures with a sponsor and build better reaction, learning and behaviour instruments for their own program.
- 09:30–10:00The happy sheet confessionalEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Why evaluation failsCase clinic
- 11:15–12:30Contracting with the sponsorReal-play
- 12:30–13:00Four levels in plain languageConcept burst
- 13:45–14:45Rebuild the feedback form and post-testHands-on lab
- 14:45–15:30Define the critical behavioursGroup challenge
- 15:45–16:45Build the behaviour instrumentBuild sprint
- 16:45–17:30Plan so farReflection
Participants can link training to business results, isolate its effect, calculate ROI and present a credible impact report.
- 09:30–10:00Correlation or cause?Energiser
- 10:00–11:00Isolate the effectHands-on lab
- 11:15–12:30Calculate ROIHands-on lab
- 12:30–13:00Intangibles, honestlyDebate
- 13:45–14:45The one-page impact reportBuild sprint
- 14:45–15:30Present to financeSimulation
- 15:45–16:45Which programs deserve deep evaluation?Group challenge
- 16:45–17:30Evaluation commitmentAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus 30-, 60- and 90-day checks on live evaluation plans. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is the training evaluation workshop?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, or four live virtual sessions of three hours each. Participants then apply their plan to a live program, with check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days. A one-day version covers planning and behaviour measurement.
What activities are included in the training evaluation workshop?
Participants work on one of their own programs. They agree success measures with a mock sponsor, rebuild their feedback form and post-test, define critical behaviours, isolate training's effect and calculate ROI in spreadsheet labs, and present a one-page impact report to a panel playing a CFO.
How we deliver it
Your programs as case studies
Participants bring one current program and leave with a complete evaluation plan and instruments for it.
Spreadsheet-based labs
ROI and isolation calculations are practised in simple spreadsheets that participants can reuse at work.
Stakeholder role-plays
Participants practise agreeing success measures with a business sponsor and presenting results to a sceptical leader.
Designed with ADDIE
The workshop is scoped using ADDIE and adapted to your data maturity, systems and reporting needs.
Tailored versions
For sales and customer-facing programs
Focuses on linking training to conversion, deal size, customer satisfaction and other commercial KPIs.
For leadership academies
Covers measuring behaviour change in leaders through 360 feedback, engagement data and retention.
For compliance and safety training
Addresses measuring risk reduction, incident rates and audit outcomes where ROI is harder to monetise.
How we measure impact
We practise what we teach. A pre and post knowledge assessment, which can be run on AssessAll, measures learning gain. Each participant's evaluation plan is scored against a rubric covering all four evaluation levels and ROI readiness. At 30, 60 and 90 days we check whether plans have been applied to live programs, using manager check-ins and a short review of the first evaluation reports produced.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What are the four levels of training evaluation?
The four levels of training evaluation look at training from four angles. Level 1, Reaction, checks whether learners found the training engaging and relevant. Level 2, Learning, measures knowledge, skills, confidence and commitment. Level 3, Behaviour, looks at whether people apply what they learned on the job. Level 4, Results, tracks the business outcomes the training was meant to influence.
What is a Level 5 ROI calculation?
A Level 5 ROI calculation adds a fifth level to the four evaluation levels: return on investment. It converts business results into monetary value, subtracts fully loaded program costs and expresses the result as an ROI percentage or benefit-cost ratio. It also includes steps to isolate the effects of training from other factors, which makes the result more credible.
How do you measure the ROI of training?
Start by agreeing the business measure the training should move, then collect baseline data. After training, measure the change, isolate the part caused by training, convert it to money and compare it with total costs. The training evaluation workshop walks through each step using a worked spreadsheet and one of your own programs.
Should every program be evaluated at Level 4 or ROI?
No. Deep evaluation takes time and money, so it is best reserved for strategic, high-cost or high-visibility programs. Most programs can be measured well at Levels 1 to 3. The workshop helps you build a tiered evaluation strategy, so effort matches the importance of each program.
How soon after training should behaviour change be measured?
Behaviour is usually measured a few weeks to three months after training, once people have had real opportunities to apply new skills. Measuring too early misses change, while measuring too late makes it hard to link change to training. We recommend 30, 60 and 90-day checkpoints, adjusted to how often the skill is used.
Do we need an LMS or analytics platform?
No. Good evaluation can start with surveys, simple tests, manager observations and business data you already collect. An LMS or analytics tool makes it easier to scale. The workshop focuses on methods and instruments that work with basic spreadsheets, then shows how to connect them to the platforms you use.
Who should attend this workshop?
It suits L&D managers, training heads, HR business partners and instructional designers who plan or report on training impact. Trainers who want to show the value of their own sessions also benefit. Participants should already be comfortable designing or managing training programs, as the workshop is pitched at an advanced level.