[SSGnudge Leadership] "Did I Listen Properly?" Lecture Evaluation Survey

Evaluate Others While Reflecting on Yourself

After giving lectures at universities, a satisfaction survey is conducted with students immediately upon the lecture’s conclusion. During special lectures at universities, the audience size can range from as few as 50 to as many as 500 people. Even though it is a time to breathe a sigh of relief after giving one’s all for about two hours, it still feels tense. The lectures mainly focus on employment assistance, occasionally covering topics like leadership and humanities. Over the past 15 years, I have intensely prepared and traveled to universities nationwide.

Although this scene no longer exists, in the case of large-scale lectures, administrative staff or teaching assistants used to distribute attendance confirmation sheets at the lecture hall entrance. These sheets served as substitutes for attendance records. Nowadays, all surveys are conducted online. Some schools even require students to take notes on these sheets to increase concentration during class.

However, many times the lecture satisfaction survey was included on the attendance sheet. In such cases, after setting up the lecture materials on the podium, I would walk around inside the lecture hall and try to engage in conversation with students who arrived early. Some students were completely absorbed in their laptops or smartphones, often so engrossed that they didn’t even notice someone sitting next to them.

But I witnessed two troubling behaviors. One was students filling out satisfaction ratings for lectures that hadn’t even started. They would mark around a ‘B’ on a five-grade scale of ‘A, B, C, D, E.’ Some students simply marked ‘A.’ I dismissed this as a form of consideration (?) or courtesy (?) toward the lecturer. Still, I thought this was unacceptable, so I approached and said, “You’re evaluating a lecture you haven’t even listened to,” which startled them.

The other case was students arbitrarily giving low scores or writing complaints on the evaluation forms. These cases were mostly presumed to be from students who hadn’t properly listened to the lecture. Content related to employment or leadership is organized theoretically and does not have a textbook. The lecture is conducted by connecting the beginning and end, incorporating games or videos to keep students moving. It is carefully planned to prevent students from losing focus, involving raising hands, practicing conversations left and right, and continuous training. If students skip parts or listen intermittently, misunderstandings easily arise.

If students are distracted by laptops or phones or wake up from dozing off, the context won’t connect, and they might feel as if they are being forced to do something. Selecting talented individuals and passing the gateway to employment requires transforming oneself into a strong and outstanding talent. For that, the guidelines given on the podium must be presented at the highest level, and practice and training must be repeated relentlessly during lecture time. This includes actively answering, listening attentively, asking questions, and so on. The class is conducted in a distinctly different way from regular lectures, which often results in polarized evaluations.

As evidence, satisfaction ratings drastically change when the lecture is conducted in the opposite manner. If many videos are played regardless of whether students are dozing off or chatting with those around them, satisfaction levels significantly increase.

Therefore, I proposed to the school to insert the question “Did I properly listen to the lecture? ‘A, B, C, D, E’” right before the survey items evaluating the lecturer. I thought it was a powerful question that would make students reflect on themselves. The faculty members present agreed it was a good idea. Some universities have added this item to other subjects as well, encouraging students to self-reflect, which reportedly had a positive effect.

Most of what we do involves others. Often, people judge others without considering their own behavior. In worse cases, people list ideas or demands without considering the resources available. Each time, I respond, “This work is being done as volunteer activity. It is difficult to discuss it as if it were a systematic organizational task with established standards.”

In the past few days, close seniors and juniors gathered to foster unity. Everyone contributed membership fees, and the schedule was carried out through the volunteerism and sacrifice of some juniors. Yet, words from the days when I was being treated with deference involuntarily surfaced. I was startled and struggled to regain composure.

Park Chang-wook, CEO of Korea Knowledge Leader Association (Secretary General of Daewoo World Management Research Association)

◆ What is ‘Nudge Leadership’?

‘Nudge Leadership’ is not about coercion or oppressive commands but about leading organizational or personal change through small, gentle interventions or motivation. It also involves improving human relationships through small changes in oneself, transforming into a person others want to follow. Ultimately, it breathes creativity and passion into organizations or relationships, creating new value and happiness.