How to Create an Effective Meeting Agenda
We’ve all had meetings that were ineffective that waste time and money. It doesn’t matter if it’s the wrong people in the room, or irrelevant discussions or even a lack of discussion, time spent in meetings isn’t free. A well-organized agenda for meetings will https://boardroomliving.com/differences-between-agenda-management-and-meeting-management/ ensure that you reach the objective of your meeting and work towards achieving your company’s goals.
A clear and concise agenda helps everyone understand what will occur during the meeting, and prepares participants for it. Include the following items in your agenda for meetings to ensure it’s efficient.
Determine the purpose of the meeting and write down all anticipated outcomes of the discussion. This will keep you focused on the most important issues, and help avoid unnecessary side-bars.
Then, for each item on the agenda, identify what is to be discussed. This will include a short description of the topic as well as who will be responsible for discussing the subject. It should also state the time allotted to the discussion. It is also beneficial to include the location and the time zone of the meeting, particularly for remote teams.
If you’re a collaborative team, consider listing each agenda item as an issue that can be addressed by the group (i.e., “What steps should we take to rent equipment?” ?”). Each discussion point could be presented as a question to encourage discussion and be aware of what is expected at the meeting.
Include an explanation of the procedure you expect to follow for each item on the agenda. This is among the most neglected elements of a meeting and can significantly increase the effectiveness of your meetings. A clear process will allow participants decide on the best way to approach a topic, which can cause off-topic discussions, or even a complete breakdown of the meeting. By having a procedure, it will allow attendees to adjust their comments to fit within the time limit or suggest that they have more time for a particular topic.
