Using assessments to drive individual development 

Written by Shawn Bakker

Assessments are often looked to for answers, yet they are best used to generate questions. In coaching or development applications this question generating role of assessments is very important. When assessments are used to ask questions, they become effective tools from the start of the learning process. They can help your client recognize which key areas they should focus their development on whether it is leadership, communication, team work, or project management.

To use an assessment tool as a method of asking questions you can frame interactions with clients using a simple three-step approach - What? So What? Now What?

Step 1 – What?
As the first step, it is also the data gathering step where you pool together information from a variety of assessments and other sources. Then regardless of the developmental focus of your work you can ask your client the following questions:

Step 2 – So What?
Step two shifts from data gathering to data evaluation. You want the client to begin to think about the implications of the information they have received. You can use questions such as:

Step 3 – Now What?
Step three involves taking the data and evaluation from the first two steps and asking the client what they are going to do about it. The goal is to create a plan that focuses on one or two key areas that will have the most impact for your client. Helpful questions include:

This framework works well because it is easy for clients to understand, lets them know about the overall process, and puts them in charge of identifying what is most important and what they are going to do about it. Having identified the key aspects of their development plan, they become much more committed to it.