Piloting the LNA questionnaire

Use this training activity to emphasise the importance of piloting the LNA questionnaire and to guide participants through the pilot stage.
Piloting the questionnaire is an extremely valuable exercise which will save a great deal of time and effort in the long term. Even a very small sample will highlight problems and potential areas of misunderstanding, allowing the trainer to amend procedures and the questionnaire itself where necessary. By piloting the questionnaire, the trainer will also be able to predict the time needed to conduct the main exercise with far more accuracy. This activity examines the benefits of piloting the LNA questionnaire, the points to test, the problem areas that may be found and ways to put the knowledge gained to practical use.

You introduce the activity by discussing the benefits of the pilot stage of an LNA questionnaire. The participants then consider who should be included in the pilot. They work in pairs to establish reasons for an organisation-wide sample. You take feedback before moving them on to think about sample size. Next, you ask the participants to work in pairs to examine the specific areas to be tested by the pilot and decide on the results they would expect to gain. You watch during this exercise and then lead a feedback session.


Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to emphasise the importance of piloting LNA questionnaires and to guide participants through the pilot stage.

• Themes:
• Coaching skills ,
• Developing staff ,
• Developing understanding ,
• Knowledge management ,
• Learning needs analysis ,
• Organisational development ,
• Performance management ,
• Written communication skills ,

Resource Type: Activity

Min Group Size: 4

Max Group Size: 10

Typical Duration: 01:50:00

No of Pages: 17





Purpose: This training activity is intended for use by trainers with participants who are responsible for identifying the learning needs of others and intend to do so by means of a learning needs analysis questionnaire. They may be trainers or line managers who are responsible for identifying the needs of their own departments. This activity is particularly effective when used in conjunction with activities 9 , 11 and 12 from the Learning Needs Analysis activity pack.