Use a simple but powerful tool to improve meeting effectiveness (with link)

All meeting processes can be improved.  The single most important advice I could offer to accomplish this is for the leader of a group that meets frequently to conduct a Process Check.  This is a simple tool that can measure the effectiveness of a meeting that can be done in 10-15 minutes.  Here is how it works:

Each person in the meeting is asked to get out a piece of paper and a pencil for the purpose of determining how the effectiveness of the meetings can be improved.  Following the following guidelines is very important.  Remind everyone of the purpose of the meeting.  Ask each person to make brief notes with answers to the following three questions and inform them that this is to be done in silence.  Inform them that there will be time for discussion later.  Attached is a template that can be used.  It works well if it can be projected by an LCD on a screen or wall during this activity.

Question #1: Rate the overall meeting effectiveness from 1-10.

Questions #2: What contributed to it being a good meeting?

Question #3: How to make it even better?

Give everyone time to note their answers.  Then it is time to collect the information but with no discussion.  Go around the room and ask people their rating and note individual responses on the form.  Making notes of responses in short phrases through a computer on the form and projected on the wall works best for all responses.  Next go around the room and ask each person for one thing they thought went well.  Keep going around the room until all thoughts have been identified.  Then use the same process for determining how the meeting could be improved.

You can see that there is an average rating.  Now it is time for discussion.  Discuss the things that went well.  The reason for doing this is to remind everyone of what the group needs to more of in the future.  Discuss what could be done to improve the meeting effectiveness.  Make decisions and then implement them.  Then a few meetings later conduct another Process Check.  The process should go on forever and meetings can always be improved.  This is a means for quantifying the improvements

When will you evaluate this tool by using it?