Email template · Training
Training feedback survey email
In short
A training feedback email asks participants to rate a course shortly after it ends, in a survey that takes two to three minutes. The best ones state how long it takes, what will change based on the answers and when the survey closes. Below are templates for the post-session survey, a 30-day follow-up, a manager survey and a reminder, plus sample questions.
When to send it: Send the main survey within 24 hours of the session ending, while details are fresh, and close it after five to seven days. Send a short follow-up survey 30 to 60 days later to check whether people are using what they learned.
Training feedback survey email: 4 versions
Post-session survey
Subject3 minutes: how was [Course Name]?
Hi [First Name], Thanks for attending [Course Name] on [Session Date]. We'd like your honest view of it. The survey has [Number] questions and takes about 3 minutes: [Survey Link] Your answers are [anonymous / confidential and only seen by the training team]. [Trainer Name] reads every comment, and we use them to change the course. After the last round, for example, we [specific change, e.g. cut the system demo from 40 to 20 minutes and added more practice calls]. The survey closes on [Close Date]. Thanks, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
30-day follow-up
SubjectAre you using what you learned in [Course Name]?
Hi [First Name], It's been about a month since [Course Name]. We want to know what has stuck and what hasn't, so we can improve the course and the support around it. Four quick questions, about 2 minutes: [Survey Link] We're asking things like how often you've used [specific skill or tool] and what got in the way. Short answers are fine. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Manager survey
SubjectHas [Course Name] made a difference for your team?
Hi [Manager Name], [Number] people from your team completed [Course Name] in [Month]. Since you see their work every day, your view of whether it changed anything is the most useful input we get. The survey takes about 3 minutes: [Survey Link] We'll share a summary of results across all teams by [Report Date]. Thanks, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Reminder
SubjectLast chance: [Course Name] feedback closes [Close Date]
Hi [First Name], A quick reminder that the feedback survey for [Course Name] closes on [Close Date]. It takes about 3 minutes: [Survey Link] If you've already filled it in, thank you, and please ignore this note. [Your Name] [Company] Training Team
Subject line ideas
- 3 minutes: how was [Course Name]?
- Your feedback on [Course Name]
- Help us improve [Course Name]
- Quick survey: [Course Name] on [Session Date]
- Are you using what you learned in [Course Name]?
- Last chance: [Course Name] feedback closes [Close Date]
- What should we change about [Course Name]?
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], thanks for joining [Course Name]. Could you give us 3 minutes of feedback? [Survey Link] It closes [Close Date] and we read every comment. - [Company] Training
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Manager Name], [Course Name], [Session Date], [Trainer Name], [Survey Link], [Close Date], [Report Date], [Month], [Number], [Your Name], [Title], [Company]
Timing and follow-up
Response rates fall quickly after the session ends. A survey sent within a few hours typically gets far more responses than one sent a week later, and the answers are more specific. For live sessions, the strongest option is to give people the last five minutes of the session to complete it on their phone, then send the email to anyone who did not.
A simple sequence:
- Same day or next morning: the main survey.
- Day 3 to 4: one reminder to non-responders.
- Day 5 to 7: close the survey.
- Day 30 to 60: a short follow-up on whether people are applying the skill, plus a parallel question to managers.
Do not attach the survey to the training completion email. Recognition first, feedback request separately.
What to ask: sample questions
Keep the survey to five to eight questions. Most training surveys are too long and measure only whether people enjoyed the session. The Kirkpatrick model is a useful frame: reaction, learning, behavior and results. The immediate survey covers the first two; the 30-day follow-up and the manager survey get at behavior.
Immediate survey:
- How relevant was this training to your day-to-day work? (1 to 5)
- How confident are you that you can [specific skill] after this session? (1 to 5)
- Which part was most useful?
- What was missing, unclear or too long?
- How was the pace? (Too slow / About right / Too fast)
- How likely are you to recommend this course to a colleague? (0 to 10)
30-day follow-up:
- How often have you used [skill or tool] since the training?
- What, if anything, has made it hard to apply?
- What support would help (job aid, coaching, refresher)?
Use the same core questions every time so you can compare courses and trainers. A training evaluation form gives you a standard set to start from, and a hosted form lets people answer on a phone without logging in.
Getting honest answers
People soften criticism when they think the trainer will see their name. If the group is large enough, make the survey anonymous and say so. If it is confidential rather than anonymous (you can see names, the trainer cannot), say that instead. Do not claim anonymity and then send reminders only to non-responders by name; employees notice.
With small groups, under about eight people, anonymity is close to impossible. Ask fewer rating questions and more open ones, or have someone other than the trainer collect feedback in a short conversation.
The single biggest driver of future response rates is showing that feedback changed something. One line in the invitation ("after the last cohort, we cut the system demo and added practice calls") does more than any incentive.
Feedback at high volume
When you run the same new-hire program for a new class every two weeks, feedback becomes operational data. Track the scores by cohort and trainer, and look at them alongside training attrition, assessment scores and early performance on the floor. A drop in "confidence to handle the call" scores often shows up a cohort or two before a rise in nesting attrition.
The same applies to onboarding. Pair the training survey with an onboarding survey email at 30 days so you can tell whether a problem sits in the classroom or in the first weeks on the job. Keep surveys short across the board: a new hire who gets four surveys in a month stops answering all of them.
Mistakes to avoid
- Twenty-question surveys. Completion drops sharply after the first few minutes.
- Only asking about satisfaction. Ask about confidence and use, not just enjoyment.
- No close date, which makes the survey feel optional forever.
- Never closing the loop. If nothing visibly changes, response rates fall with every cohort.
- Sending the survey before the course ends, or for a session the person missed.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a training feedback email?
Thank the participant, name the course and date, say how long the survey takes, explain whether answers are anonymous, mention one change made from past feedback, and give a close date. Keep the survey to five to eight questions.
When should you send a post-training survey email?
Within 24 hours of the session ending, with one reminder a few days later and a close date about a week out. Add a short follow-up survey 30 to 60 days later to check whether people are applying the skill.
What questions should a training evaluation survey include?
Relevance to the job, confidence to apply the skill, the most and least useful parts, pace, and likelihood to recommend. A later follow-up should ask how often the skill has been used and what got in the way.
How can I increase training survey response rates?
Give time at the end of the session to complete it, keep it under three minutes, make it mobile-friendly, send one reminder, and show what changed because of earlier feedback.
Should training feedback surveys be anonymous?
For larger groups, yes, because people are more candid. For very small groups anonymity is hard to guarantee, so say it is confidential and ask open questions instead.