At Motherwell Child and Family Clinic our small multi-disciplinary CAMHS team was keen not to waste any more time in meetings than was necessary. None of us liked meetings that were a waste of time. That is the kind of meeting you come out of saying, in common Scots: "That meeting was mince". Duncan Clark and Nick Child developed this jokey but serious questionnaire that, when totalled up, gave your meeting a rating on the "Clark-Child Mince Rating Scale". Here it is. Download the PDF below for actual use.
For any formal (especially staff) meetings, one or all participants rate these categories:
A. OVERALL AIMS: Circle a number. 1. Were the aims clear? Most unclear 0. . . . 1 . . . . 2 . . . . 3 . . . . 4Very clear 2. Were aims achieved? Not achieved0. . . . 1 . . . . 2 . . . . 3 . . . . 4 Completely achieved
B. ORGANISATION: Tick each ok item. Ticks x 2 = Total between 0 to 4: . . . . . . 1. Right membership? 2. Notification? 3. Preparation? 4. Best location? 5. Chairing/timing? 6. Notes/minute-taking? 7. If cut short, was this reasonably done with damage awareness? 8. Was there a good fit with the participants’ diary for that day / week?
C. FOLLOW THROUGH: Tick each item. Total ticks = Total between 0 to 4: . . . . . For issues, decisions and consequences considered at the meeting: 1. Attempts made to identify them and plan for follow through? 2. Successfully identified, agreed and planned for follow through? 3. Actually been (or confident that they will be) followedthrough since the meeting? 4. Actually been (or confident that they will be) resolved since the meeting
D. BY WHOSE EFFORTS? Circle one number: -3 to +3. Subtract or add this to your total. Is this description of the meeting the result of your efforts or other people's efforts? It may be brilliant because someone else made it so. Or it may be awful despite your massive efforts. You were ‘a lazy B’ -3 . . . -2 . . . -1 . . .0. . . +1 . . . +2 . . . +3 All your own efforts
E. REVIEWED? Has the meeting been reviewed & improved recently? Yes? Score: 1
TOTAL: . . . . . FINALLY, GIVE YOUR ‘MEATING’ AN OVERALL RATING: 0 = Mince ↔ 5 = Haggis ↔ 10 = Stovies ↔ 15 = Steak ↔ 20 = Cooking with gas
For wider or management interpretation, note whether this meeting was needed or essential: 1. For your own organisation’s work. 2. For the worker as an individual (eg for training) 3. External purposes, eg maybe required by other organisation, but with benefit for own organisation.