Judi Clements Training & Development

We take time to have meetings, but we seldom take time to evaluate their effectiveness.  Here are some tips how to do that.  There are three times when evaluation should take place:  during meetings, at the end of meetings, or after meetings.

During Meetings:  This evaluation doesn’t have to be formal or complicated.  During any meeting, the leader should look for cues that indicate something needs improving.  The cues can be verbal or nonverbal; subtle or blunt.  The simplest (and most effective) remedy is to stop the meeting and deal directly with problems if these cues are acute.

Another way to assist an ongoing evaluation is to take time after a break and simply ask the group for comment: "How is this meeting going so far?"  "What can we do to make our meeting more effective?  Give participants time to think about the questions. Then ask them to share their comments.  Be prepared to listen carefully and respond to suggestions that are made.

At The End of Meetings:  From time to time, towards the end of your meeting ask the participants to complete a simple evaluation form and post the scores for group discussion.  The actual numbers are not what counts.  What is important is the opportunity to share perceptions of what is going on.  The goal is to deal with items that can improve future meetings.

After Meetings:  Distribute evaluation tools to participants asking them to complete and return them to you by a specific short term date.   Telephone a sampling of the group and request a narrative evaluation of the meeting.  Visit with members of the meeting and ask them for their feedback.  Collect this data and share it with the group and ask for suggestions to improve meeting effectiveness.

The benefits of meeting evaluation can be worthwhile when:  the leader genuinely wants to improve future meetings, the leader receives honest input from the group, the leader receives feedback in a positive way, and most importantly, the leader actually acts on the suggestions given.  

Meeting evaluation takes time and effort, but it is worth it because “doing little things well is a step toward doing big things better”.