Step 10
Evaluate the Facilitation Session
Overview
• Conduct a self-evaluation.
• Have the group critique itself.
• Have the group evaluate the facilitator.
• Have a trained observer conduct the evaluation.
The last step in the process of successful facilitation is to evaluate what worked and what did not. Given the amount of time that people spend in meetings, isn’t it surprising how seldom the effectiveness of a meeting is evaluated?
Keep in mind that the point of evaluating a facilitation session is to allow continuous improvement, both for the specific group of participants and the organization as a whole. Evaluations help measure how well the group met its objectives, how well the meeting processes worked, and how well the individual participants functioned as a group. The evaluation process can happen on several levels—for example, you may critique yourself, have the group critique itself, and have the group provide feedback about your skills as a facilitator; you may even have a trained observer attend the facilitation session with the sole purpose of providing you with expert feedback. Let’s look at each evaluation option and some suggestions on how to gather the feedback.
Conduct a Self-Evaluation
After the meeting ends, you can reflect on the meeting and how reality compared with what you planned. (This is another reason why planning the facilitation session is so important: if you don’t have a plan going in, what are you going to evaluate yourself against?) When conducting a self-evaluation, be careful to be objective and evaluate what happened from an outsider’s perspective. The goal is improvement for future meetings! To facilitate this process, consider using the tool shown in Tool 10-1.
TOOL 10-1
FACILITATOR SELF-EVALUATION
Objectives
• What were the meeting objectives?
• Were they accomplished? 
Yes No Not Sure
• Which objectives were not completely accomplished? Why not? (Be specific.)
Processes
• If I were conducting the meeting again, what would I do the same? What would I do differently?
• Were objectives accomplished in minimum time? Yes No Not Sure
• If objectives were not accomplished in minimum time, why not? (Be specific.)
Participants
• In your opinion, how satisfied were participants with the meeting? Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied
Beyond the evaluation of one particular meeting, work to become an effective facilitator, honing your skills by strengthening your major weaknesses. Successful facilitators continually develop themselves by reading, attending seminars or workshops, tackling challenging job assignments, coaching, and so on. Use Tool 10-2 to continue to develop your skills in creating and leading productive meetings.
POINTER
When conducting a self-evaluation, be careful to be objective and evaluate what happened from an outsider’s perspective.
TOOL 10-2
FACILITATOR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Instructions:
• Describe one strength you want to hone and one weakness you want to overcome.
• Identify the method for development and the resources it requires.
• Establish a timeline for your development activities.
• Determine the required feedback so you can gauge the extent of your improvement.
Used with permission from McCain (2015).
Have the Group Critique Itself
One way to have a group learn from experience is by critiquing its own success during or at the conclusion of a meeting. For example, you can post a flipchart with one half labeled “What we did well” and the other half labeled “What we need to improve.” Ask participants to reflect on the meeting and to help complete the flipchart. Many of these ideas may be incorporated into future meetings or may be found on a growing list of ground rules as the group figures out how to efficiently work together.
Have the Group Evaluate the Facilitator
Group members can provide a wealth of evaluation information. Keep in mind that many of the meeting participants may not be objective when providing feedback during the evaluation process—but nonetheless, they are a valuable source of information on how to improve future meetings.
POINTER
Identify the type of information that you want to receive feedback on (for example, agenda topics, facilitation skills, room setup, visual aids, activities, and so on) and then craft the evaluation form to match the input you seek.
Depending on the type of meeting, different evaluation forms might be most helpful to capture feedback anonymously. For example, some focus on the venue and logistics, others may focus on how successfully the group accomplished its objectives, what participants learned, the quality of activities, or the applicability to their job roles. In general, consider using these guidelines to get honest, meaningful reactions to all types of meetings:
• Determine what kind of information you want (agenda topics, facilitation skills, room setup and facilities, handouts, visual aids, number and type of activities to engage the group and keep them involved, and so on).
• Prepare a written form to get reactions from the participants.
• Design the form so that the information can be tabulated and quantified. Rather than open-ended questions like “How well did you like the program?” or “What did you like best?” ask, “On a scale from one to five, how effective was our meeting (with five being most effective)?”
• If possible, prepare the survey using an online tool. Results can be quickly tabulated and analyzed this way. It’s best to ask participants to complete the survey before they leave the meeting, so they will need access to the Internet and a computer or their smartphone. Participants can also be asked to complete the survey at another time, although the response rate will likely drop dramatically.
• Allow participants to add comments that will help explain their reactions and offer suggestions for improvement. A good question is, “What would have made the meeting more effective?” or “How could the meeting have been improved?”
• Obtain honest reactions by removing any fear of repercussions for negative comments. The best way to do this is to make the forms anonymous. Have participants leave the completed forms on a table on their way out of the room, or, if using an online survey tool, do not ask for names or email addresses.
POINTER
Although they might not be entirely objective, individual participants serve as a good source of information on how to improve future facilitation sessions.
Have a Trained Observer Conduct the Evaluation
Having a trained observer sit quietly in the back of the room and objectively observe the facilitation session can provide helpful evaluation information for improvement. A trained observer can be anyone who understands the characteristics of an effective meeting, such as an experienced facilitator who is recognized for successful meetings.
Depending on the type of meeting, you might want the observer to focus on certain aspects of the session or your skills and jot down general notes on a pad of paper. Or, to gather more formal feedback, perhaps have the observer complete a form as observations are made during the session.
When having a trained observer evaluate your facilitation sessions, consider using a form similar to Tool 10-3 to systematically gather formal feedback in specific areas. But most important, be receptive to comments from the trained observer. Don’t be defensive— the trained observer’s goal is to help you improve future meetings.
POINTER
Do not be afraid of evaluation—gathering and reflecting on feedback will help you continually improve and hone your skills as a facilitator.
TOOL 10-3
EVALUATION BY A TRAINED OBSERVER
No matter which evaluation techniques you decide to employ (the more the better!), some sort of evaluation should be conducted at the end of each facilitation session in an effort to capitalize on what went well and to diminish or eliminate the less-than-desirable occurrences. That’s how skilled facilitators continue to hone and perfect their skills in specific areas to become truly successful.