tlg insights
Rethinking assessment
29/06/2026
A Conversation with TLG’s Head of Assessments, Anne
Q: What makes TLG’s assessment approach different?
Anne: It’s all about communication outcomes. We’re aiming to develop real-world skills like presenting, networking, and leading discussions. Everything is designed to help learners perform effectively at work.
Q: What does TLG assess in each session?
Anne: Yes, so I think the TLG grade is a very unique assessment and grading system because it has three different components.
We assess three areas:
- Language – where we look at accuracy and complexity
- Impact – how well they achieve the task and the level of support they needed to do so. And how professional and strategic the language is to achieve the objective
- Communication – how effectively they interact, adapt tone, and mediate based on the target audience
It’s more of a holistic approach which focuses on real-world performance.
Q: In your opinion, why assess beyond the start and end of a course?
Anne: I think it’s a great question. I think that I see a couple of benefits.
First of all, you can look at progress over time, and you can get a sense of, you know, how skills are developing over a longer period. Secondly, it’s highly motivating for the client because they can see what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, and then they can also make changes or work on certain areas as they see that, you know, maybe they need to work on their presentation skills if they get a really low grade in that skill set.
So, I think it’s just very motivating for the clients as well to see, you know, how they’re developing. And then, it’s good to have a benchmark to see where they are and to help motivate them and grow.
Lastly, it is crucial for HR to have some assessment data to show how their employees are developing skills and adding value to the company’s vision and growth.
Q: How does grading during sessions work?
Anne: So after completing a task or a section of a task the client will get feedback which may include a grade, then they might try again, and refine their performance. This is an example of the reflex methodology in action. Grading could come in at different points. Like the trainer could say, okay, that presentation, this iteration could be, you know, a 4.9 language grade, a 5.1 impact grade, and then, you know, a 5.2 communication grade, and then they would explain why.
Then the client has to do it, making changes based on feedback, for example adding more advanced language or expressions, or including a more impactful opening, or a clearer closing or reorganizing information for a stronger structure. The aim is to improve the performance and as a result the client could raise that initial grade by the end of the session. So that’s an interesting way as well for the client to really see how they could upgrade.
At this point, the focus shifts from what is measured to how learning actually happens inside the session.
Q: How important are session objectives?
Anne: Critical. Each session focuses on one key objective.
If you try to target too many things, feedback becomes diluted. Here are some examples of the kind of practical objectives that we focus on:
- To ask questions to get more information in a variety of situations;
- To apply a structure to your presentation and draft a strong introduction with a clear and engaging hook for your audience;
- To lead a conversation that enables participants to exchange opinions.
Narrow focus makes improvement faster and more measurable.
Q: Can sessions still be personalized?
Anne: Yes. We always integrate the learner’s real work into sessions, so the training feels relevant and immediately applicable. We often adjust the task content to better align with what they have to deal with in their working life.
From there, the conversation naturally moved into what “impact” looks like in practice.
Q: What does “impact” look like in practice? Are we looking for something that is clear and concise? Are we looking for fluency? Are we looking for confidence in delivery? What are some of the performance metrics you’re thinking about?
Anne: Yeah, definitely. Like, I would say all of those. Are they able to deliver a presentation with confidence? Are they able to be concise and communicate the key takeaways? As the trainer, are you able to communicate back what those key takeaways are that they wanted to get across as well? And then also in terms of vocabulary, is the vocabulary appropriate? Is it, you know, impactful? The combination of words, do they work well together?
Those are all of the things we’re looking at. And, you know, the use of expressions, you know, good expressions to make it clear. But I think, really, are they getting their point across.
In a nutshell, impact in practice is defined by a speaker’s ability to combine confident delivery and appropriate vocabulary with a message so clear and concise that the audience can easily identify and communicate the key takeaways.
Q: How do you develop real-world communication skills?
Anne: We focus on things like:
- Structuring ideas clearly
- Adapting tone to the audience
- Engaging listeners
- Being concise under time pressure
These are transferable skills for any professional context.
Q: Many learners focus heavily on grammar. How do you shift that mindset?
Anne: Yeah, I mean, I think we have to start by convincing them that they need to get their point across effectively. So, making that impact with the language that they’re using, the professional language that they’re using and so on.
Some people get so worried and preoccupied about making a grammar mistake, how, you know, I’m not using the right preposition. I think we really want to think about – are they being effective, you know, with their communication skills, which is why we’re so focused on the skills rather than the nitty gritty grammar rules. And we don’t teach explicit grammar lessons, you know, as part of our approach.
Our approach is to emphasize effectiveness over perfection. If someone is too focused on grammar, they may hesitate and fail to make an impact. What matters is whether they get their message across clearly and professionally in real situations.
Q: What’s a common misconception learners have?
Anne: Many think their problem is language, when actually it’s communication.
For example, their vocabulary might be fine, but their delivery is unclear, too long, or poorly structured. And audience awareness is a huge piece because a lot of clients struggle with just sort of like asking and answering questions.
We help clients think about, are they – the audience – understanding what I am saying right now? And just that awareness of who the audience is and what they need, and is this clear? Am I being clear? Is this structured well? Is it easy to follow?
The learning process itself is designed to stretch learners – without overwhelming them.
Q: How do you help learners elevate their language without overwhelming them?
Anne: I think that’s an interesting point because part of our role as trainers is also to give feedback and to help the client upgrade their language or think about saying it in a more impactful way using for example more precise language, or more idiomatic expressions or maybe a phrasal verb that says something in a more concise way, more impactfully.
So, I think the trainer has a role, you know, as well, giving that kind of feedback, mirroring the client, helping them, pushing them to use language that’s just beyond their usual comfort zone, and then repeating it and applying reflex methodology. We are getting more into the methodology of the process now, but I think that’s also helpful for the client to repeat in different ways and different formats and practice it under pressure, so they actively use over and over again until it’s more automatic.
Q: With so much feedback, how do you avoid overwhelming learners?
Anne: I think that there can be a sense of feeling overwhelmed, especially with learning all of these skills.
It can be overwhelming. But I think if there’s a sense of, you know, taking steps, you know, breaking it down into smaller steps, then the results can be more feasible to attain. So, I think you need to keep it incremental and slow, instead of big jumps. Learners improve in small steps, like moving from 4.2 to 4.3 in their overall score. That makes progress achievable and builds confidence over time.
Q: Why do you introduce pressure into sessions?
Anne: I think the pressure replicates what they’re going to experience in, you know, in these professional situations when they’re in the boardroom, when someone has a different opinion and they have to kind of, you know, stand up or kind of defend their point of view and politely deal with objections. In meetings or presentations, people are under pressure.
Training in those conditions builds automaticity, so learners can respond effectively instead of freezing.
Q: Can this approach reveal hidden weaknesses?
Anne: Definitely. When you focus on specific skills, you uncover issues learners might not notice, like poor structure, missing opportunities for interaction, too many fillers that impact how confident you sound or weak audience awareness.
Q: It sounds from the way you’re describing it, that it would really help with engagement and motivation. Has that been your experience?
Anne: Absolutely. Yes, I really think so, because just the other day I was working with a client who, after receiving this kind of very detailed feedback about how to improve in certain areas, the following session he came so prepared, ready to go. He had studied the set of phrasal verbs. He was very motivated by this methodology because it’s so clear in terms of this is what you need to do to improve your score. So, I think there’s a sense of clarity in terms of what they need to do, and then they feel driven, you know, to improve in given areas.
Q: How does regular grading drive ownership?
Anne: It gives them clear benchmarks. Many are motivated by tracking their scores, competing with their peers, and in some cases aiming for career-related targets. It turns progress into something visible and measurable.
