Honest meeting evaluations (3 min)
Why do meeting evaluations matter?
Imagine an elderly couple. They have spent 30 years together as loving partners.
Every morning, they eat bread rolls for breakfast. And every morning, he takes a bread roll and cuts it in half. He likes the bottom halves the best. So, naturally, he keeps the top part and gives the best part - the bottom half - of the bread roll to her.
After 30 years, they find out: he likes the bottom halves best. She likes the top part best. And for 30 years, they made the assumptions. Despite best intentions, they both missed out on their favorites!
What does this have to do with meeting evaluations? Well, we typically do things with best intentions - consciously or unconsciously.
But we can’t know how it lands on the others. Unless we talk!
To close the loop, at the end of every meeting, we zoom out for a moment to check whether there is something about the meeting that could have been improved. We came in with good intentions - and how did it play out? Did it work for everyone?
Things we can check out on:
- the content of the meeting - the things you talked about and what they mean to you,
- the process - Did the meeting feel productive and equitable? Was the agenda prepared well?
- the interpersonal - how was the vibe? Do you want to give direct feedback, appreciation or express a personal feeling?
But these are just 3 big categories - there are many more invisible patterns to surface.
Whether you use prompt cards or a simple prompt of “how was this meeting”, remember to stay open to anything that might surface as to avoid bias. Tune in and notice.
There’s really no point in holding back or glossing over things - if it’s real for you, it’s worth saying.
If an issue surfaces that requires a next step or more talking, write it on the backlog so you can address it at a future meeting.
Over time, you can tailor your meetings to your group and have the meetings you want to have - and each meeting gets a little better!