How can you use esports player feedback to improve their training program?

1 Why feedback matters

Feedback is essential for learning and improvement in any field, but especially in esports, where the game environment, meta, and rules are constantly changing. Feedback can help you and your players identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your gameplay, as well as evaluate your progress and results. Feedback can also motivate, inspire, and empower your players to take ownership of their learning and development.

2 How to collect feedback

There are numerous ways to gather feedback from your players depending on your objectives, resources, and preferences. Surveys and questionnaires are a popular method to use online tools or apps to query players before, during, or after training sessions. You can also conduct one-on-one or group interviews with your players to gain more qualitative feedback. Additionally, you can observe and assess players' performance, behavior, and attitude during training sessions with metrics, rubrics, or checklists. Lastly, you can encourage self and peer feedback to foster self-awareness and peer learning.

3 How to analyze feedback

Once you have collected feedback from your players, you need to analyze it to extract meaningful and actionable insights. To do this, you can organize and categorize the feedback by source, topic, type, or priority. You can also identify and interpret patterns and themes in the data by using qualitative and quantitative methods. Furthermore, you can compare and contrast the feedback from different sources, perspectives, and time periods with benchmarks, standards, or goals. Finally, you can synthesize and summarize the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations from the feedback in reports, dashboards, or presentations.

4 How to apply feedback

The final and most important step is to apply the feedback to improve your training program. To do this, you should review and revise your training objectives, content, methods, and schedule based on the feedback. Implementing and monitoring your training activities according to the revised plan can also be beneficial; this can help guide and adjust the delivery, facilitation, and support of your training. Lastly, evaluating and measuring your training outcomes based on the feedback can be used to assess and improve its effectiveness, efficiency, and impact.

5 How to get feedback

Getting feedback from your players is not always easy or straightforward. You may face resistance from players who fear criticism, lack confidence, or have a fixed mindset. You can create a safe and supportive feedback culture to overcome this. Additionally, feedback may be distorted due to cognitive, emotional, or social biases, or poor feedback design, delivery, or interpretation. To avoid this, use multiple sources, methods, and perspectives of feedback. Furthermore, confusion or conflict in your feedback may arise due to different expectations, standards, or opinions. Clarifying and aligning your feedback goals, criteria, and messages can help resolve this. Ultimately, feedback is a powerful tool for improving your esports player performance and training - it can be used to design and adjust your training program to meet their needs and preferences; enhance your coaching, training, and management skills; as well as build stronger relationships with players.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?