Perceived Meeting Quality (PMQ)

Perceived Meeting Quality (PMQ) is a way to measure an attendee’s feelings about a meeting. This term comes from a 2011 study that examined 18 different meeting design characteristics (such as using an agenda or starting and ending on time) to determine which ones had the biggest positive impact on how people felt about the meeting.

You can read the full study here:
Cohen, Melissa A.; Rogelberg, Steven G.; Allen, Joseph A.; and Luong, Alexandra, “Meeting Design Characteristics and Attendee Perceptions of Staff/Team Meeting Quality” (2011). Psychology Faculty Publications. Paper 96.

One important note for meeting leaders: this study did not examine whether meetings achieved the desired outcomes or had a net positive impact (NPI) on the organization’s work. The researchers found that several of the design characteristics recommended by practitioners—taking meeting notes is a notable example—didn’t significantly contribute to people’s positive feelings about the meeting. So, while designing meetings that people will enjoy attending is important for both meeting success and employee satisfaction, PMQ should not be your only consideration. Getting useful work done matters too!