for EVALUATING Meeting Success Tips & Techniques for EVALUATING Meeting Success “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell To move forward, backward or to a Contents page, move your cursor over the arrows in the bottom left corner of each page and make a selection. You can also use your space bar (forward); or your Page Up/Page Dn keys (backward/forward).

Table of Contents Orientation Evaluate Your Meeting Success The Next Steps Click on a large colored bullet to go to that section. www.iwcctraining.com

Orientation This material was developed to help you take action and ensure follow-through after your meetings. You will gain tips for recognizing the criteria for successful meeting behavior and evaluating meeting success. Review: Tips for Creating a Successful Meeting Successful Meeting Behaviors Return to main Table of Contents Click on a large colored bullet to go to that section. www.iwcctraining.com

Review: Tips for Creating a Successful Meeting Let’s review just a few of the guidelines for creating a successful meeting. Make sure the objective of the meeting is clear to everyone. Agree on, and adhere to, the ground rules. Make sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. Assign a minute-taker or recorder. Choose your facilitation tools. Encourage participation. Orientation

Successful Meeting Behaviors Now, let’s look at the behaviors of successful meeting leaders and attendees. Meeting leader behaviors provides structure for meeting states objective speaks clearly listens (Level 3) asks effective questions ensures information is captured keeps group moving towards goal handles conflict/challenges well assigns roles/responsibilities recaps action items evaluates meeting differences manages time well Attendee behaviors participates openly seeks and shares opinions proposes ideas builds on others’ ideas listens (Level 3) asks good questions stays focused on goal assumes roles/responsibilities follows ground rules gathers and organizes information manages time well Orientation

Evaluate Your Meeting Success In this section, you will explore the criteria for evaluating meeting success – during and after your meeting. You will find templates and surveys that will help you improve meeting effectiveness. What to do After Your Meeting Step #1: Evaluating Your Meeting Step #2: Following Through on Action Items Step #3: Writing & Distributing Minutes Return to main Table of Contents Click on a large colored bullet to go to that section. www.iwcctraining.com

What to do After Your Meeting Consider what you currently do after a meeting. How do you typically share the details with the group? Do you ensure the next steps are communicated to everyone who needs the information? Do you follow-through on all action items? To ensure your meeting success, you need to: Evaluate your meeting. Assign action items and deadlines. Write and distribute “Meeting Minutes” OR e-mail the highlights and outcomes to the group. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Step #1: Evaluating Your Meeting Effective meeting leaders and attendees begin evaluating their success during the meeting. They can constructively share their thoughts and feedback through surveys. Let’s look at two “in meeting” and one “end of meeting” surveys that can help you improve the effectiveness of your meetings. How Are We Doing? – Meeting Check-in (use during meeting) Taking the Pulse – Team Effectiveness Survey (use during meeting) Meeting Evaluation (use at end of meeting) Evaluate Your Meeting Success

How Are We Doing? – Meeting Check-in This survey lends itself to quick tabulation of results during a meeting. If one or more items score significantly low, the meeting leader can raise the issue and ask the group to solve the problem. Scoring Key: Yes = 3 points Needs Improvement = 2 points No = 1 point Please give us your feedback by writing Yes (Y), Needs Improvement (NI) or No (N) beside each of the following: We are working well together. We are sticking to our agenda. People are being respectful of one another. We are following our own ground rules/working agreements. We are using helpful tools. We are being frank and open about issues. We are achieving what we set out to do. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Taking the Pulse – Team Effectiveness Survey This survey is a quick and easy way to check on how attendees are feeling. It is useful in long meetings that last more than half a day. Please tell us how we are doing; how you are finding the meeting so far. Goal: To what extent are we achieving our goals? 1 No progress 2 Long way to go 3 Fair progress 4 Good progress 5 Excellent progress Group Process: How are we functioning as a team? Not at all Not very well Just okay Quite well Excellent Tools: How well are the tools working for us? Somewhat effective Extremely effective Pulse: How are you feeling about the session so far? Totally frustrated Somewhat frustrated Pretty satisfied Encouraged Energized Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Please tell us how we are doing; how you are finding the meeting so far. (cont’d) Facilities: How well are the physical facilities meeting your needs? Rooms? Meals? 1 Terrible 2 Not great 3 Okay 4 Great 5 Excellent Care to comment or make suggestions? Now that we’ve looked at the two “in meeting” surveys that will help you improve your meeting as it progresses, let’s look at the “end of meeting” evaluation survey. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Meeting Evaluation At the end of the meeting, ask the group to take a few minutes to evaluate the meeting. You can use IWCC’s Meeting Evaluation diagnostic survey to help you determine specifically what you did well and what you will do differently in your next meeting. How did we do? Accomplish Objective? On a scale of 1-10 (10 = “high”), Yes No Partially this meeting was a: We started on time. We ended on time. The meeting leader clearly stated the objective. We followed the agenda (pre-prepared or made at start of meeting). We set limits for each agenda item. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

How did we do? (cont’d) We discussed all the issues listed. We stayed focused and on track. Everyone completed necessary pre-work and came prepared. Everyone contributed. We designated a group member to capture main outcomes and action items. We did not allow interruptions during the meeting. What else worked well? What will we do differently next time? Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Step #2: Following Through on Action Items How do you normally capture action items for follow-through during your meetings? IWCC’s Action Minutes template can be a great tool for helping you capture and follow through on action items. And, you can begin building your Action Minutes from your Action Agenda before your meeting. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Evaluate Your Meeting Success Similar to the Action Agenda, Action Minutes include the meeting name, date, attendees, the topics, and the topic leaders. In addition, Action Minutes include the highlights, the decisions, the unresolved issues, and the action items (including by whom and by when) for each topic. This is a great tool for capturing and assigning action items. It also increases the likelihood that everyone will follow through on action items by the deadline. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Step #3: Writing & Distributing Minutes Minutes are a vital component of successful meetings. When written clearly and concisely, they help your group work productively. Whether distributed to the group as a formal or informal source of reference, they: In short, good minute taking is a critically important task. On the next two slides, you will find two templates that will help you capture the minutes and your notes during your meetings. act as an official record of what took place document decisions made and responsibilities assigned remind attendees of commitments, actions and due dates inform people who were absent from the meeting act as review document for the next meeting Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Evaluate Your Meeting Success This template is designed to reflect your action agenda. Therefore, it will help you remain focused on what’s important and capture the right information for the meeting minutes. Taking minutes is not a menial task. As a minute-taker, you fulfill a critically important role – you become the group memory. You are responsible for documenting an official record of what was accomplished and decided during a meeting. You can demonstrate your communication ability by taking and writing concise, coherent minutes that can be distributed to the group. By taking minutes, you can also learn to focus on what is important. You develop a better understanding of your team and your organization. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

Evaluate Your Meeting Success This is a simple template for capturing your personal notes during the meeting. Whether a meeting leader or an attendee, it will help you document your own commitments, actions and deadlines. Evaluate Your Meeting Success

The Next Steps In this section, you will complete an exercise that will help you identify which meeting skills and behaviors you want to develop. Action Plan: Developing Your Meeting Skills Return to main Table of Contents Click on a large colored bullet to go to that section. www.iwcctraining.com

Action Plan: Developing Your Meeting Skills In order to complete this exercise effectively, you will need to address all aspects of effective meetings. Therefore, we suggest that you complete all four of IWCC’s courses created for meeting leaders and attendees. Once you have completed these courses, complete the exercise on the next two slides. Use the Action Plan worksheet to identify which meeting skills and behaviors you want to develop over the next 30 days. Tips & Techniques for PLANNING Productive Meetings Tips & Techniques for PRODUCTIVE MEETING TOOLS Tips & Techniques for LEADING & PARTICIPATING in Productive Meetings Tips & Techniques for EVALUATING Meeting Success The Next Steps

Exercise Ask yourself, “Of what I have learned in these courses, what one or two things will give me leverage to make my meetings better?” Now, go to the next slide and complete your Action Plan. If you focus on one or two goals, you will find it easier and be more successful than if you try to change or build several skills and behaviors at once.

Action Plan: Developing Your Meeting Skills 30-Day Development Plan Which skills and behavior(s) will I focus on? Action steps Measure of success By when? What obstacles will I need to manage? What support or resources do I need to achieve my goal? The Next Steps

Taking action and ensuring follow-through after your meetings. By applying the tips and techniques you have learned in this course, you will be well on your way to: Recognizing the criteria for successful meeting behavior and evaluating meeting success. Taking action and ensuring follow-through after your meetings. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell