Agenda

Focus/Purpose

• • Prioritize your agenda.
    • Place most important information and topics to cover early in the meeting schedule.
    • Put less important or time-sensitive topics later in the schedule, where they can be glossed over or omitted in a time crunch.
    • List closing matters of business at the end.
    • Do not simply put the least important items at the end and then quit before you get there. All meetings should have a closing that recaps discussion and action points.
  • Omit points that are not relevant to the purpose and objectives of the meeting.
    • Know your purpose and goals.
    • Do not include business matters not relevant to these objectives.
    • When necessary, be prepared to briefly summarize these points for the benefit of attendees but stay on schedule with your priorities.
  • Move major, lengthy discussion points to their own meeting.

Certain topics may be important to cover but will take up too much time in your meeting. If they are not critical to the purpose and topic of your meeting:               

• • Schedule another meeting devoted to those points.
  • Update your meeting group on this development.
  • Invite the relevant members to discuss this point at the later meeting.
  • Bring back notes from your discussion at your next meeting.

Is your agenda prioritized according to the purpose and goals of your meeting or presentation?

• • Place the most important topics early in the meeting schedule.
  • Put less important or time-sensitive topics later in the schedule, where they can be glossed over or omitted in a time crunch.
  • Do not simply put the least important items at the end; leave time for recap and concluding statements.

Have you included points that are not directly relevant to the purpose and goals of the meeting or presentation?

• • Do not include business matters that are not relevant to your meeting objectives and audience.
  • Be prepared to briefly summarize these points, but do not let them interfere with your meeting priorities.

Content/Elaboration

• • State the meeting’s purpose and goals at the beginning of the agenda.
    • Summarize the purpose of the meeting.
    • If it is a meeting in a series, note its number and the name of the series (e.g., first weekly meeting on cooperation and sharing).
    • List your major objectives for the meeting—your ‘meeting goals’.
  • List each topic or point of discussion in the agenda, beginning with opening statements.
  • Including each point you want to cover will help you remember them and keep the meeting on track. ‘Hidden’ discussion points that are kept in mind but not on the agenda can easily derail your schedule.For each topic or point you list, include:
    • Name or ‘title’ of the topic
    • Speaker responsible for the topic
    • Estimated time allotted to topic, or
    • Time frame for the topic’s discussion

Do you state your purpose and goals for the meeting or presentation at the beginning of the agenda (if appropriate)?

Outline the purpose of the meeting or presentation for the benefit of the attendees.

• • List your goals for the meeting.
  • If you do not include this information in the agenda, be prepared to explain these verbally so that everyone can be ‘on the same page’ with what must be accomplished.

Do you account for an introduction and opening statements or matters?

• • Start your agenda with a brief introduction to the meeting and its purpose.
  • Allow time to cover opening orders of business, such as background notes, updates, etc.
  • Do not forget to figure these opening formalities into your time estimates for the meeting.

Do you list each topic to be covered, the person who will present or report on them, and the time allotted?

• • List each topic or issue, offering precise descriptions.
  • Write out questions and discussion points to make sure they are covered during the meeting or presentation.
  • Indicate who is responsible for each talking point, if applicable. (If you are the only presenter, this is not necessary.)
  • Provide an estimate of the time allotted to each topic, or a timeframe during which the topic will be discussed.

Have you allotted time for concluding statements, such as a discussion recap and send-off action notes?

• • Plan to recap major discussion points, agreements, and issues.
  • End your meeting with summary statements of action: what is to happen next, and who is to do what.
  • Do not simply run your meeting out of time and break out when time is up.

Organization

• • Use a table, outline, or a bulleted or numbered list to lay out your agenda.
    • Choose a format that separates information clearly and that will make sense to the reader.
    • Use consistent formatting to denote particular pieces of information, such as time, if you are not using a table format.
  • Group related topics or talking points under headings to give your agenda more structure.
    • Use headings to give the audience and participants a better idea of how parts of the meeting relate.
    • Give headings useful, familiar names to help readers orient themselves to the topics presented.
      • Divide the topics by which component of a project they relate to.
      • Divide discussion points into status, updates, blockers, etc.
    • Format headings so they stand out from the rest of the text.
    • Indent topics under headings, or use outline-like numbering to organize headings and topics.

Is your agenda well laid out and easy to follow?

• • Use a table, outline, or list format to arrange your agenda.
  • Choose a layout that separates information clearly and that will make sense to the attendees.
  • Use consistent formatting to denote particular pieces of information, such as time, if you are not using a table format.

Have you organized topics, issues, and talking points under headings to give your agenda more structure?

• • Use headings to give the audience and participants a better idea of how parts of the meeting relate.
  • Give headings useful, familiar names (such as components of a project or type of presentation) to help attendees orient themselves to the topics presented.
  • Format headings so they stand out form the rest of the text.
  • Indent topics under headings, or use outline-like numbering to organize headings and topics.

Language/Style

• • Use descriptive, precise language.
    • Be specific when listing topics and discussion points.
    • Be consistent in your naming strategy.
    • If you have questions that must be discussed and answered, write them out.
  • List members’ full names, or names and initials, when referring to them.

This may seem silly or overly formal, but agendas are artifacts of your meeting. Several years from now, someone researching your project may not be familiar with the people who you list. Similarly, someone higher up in management or in another branch may be interested in your meeting agenda and want to know who attended and presented.

Do you use precise, descriptive language to identify topics and discussion points?

• • Be specific when listing topics and discussion points.
  • Be consistent in your topic naming strategy.
  • List the full names of participants and speakers for future reference.
  • If you have questions that must be discussed and answered, write them out.

Formatting/Procedures

• • Include a descriptive header or title page that defines the meeting or presentation. List:
    • meeting or presentation title
    • presenter’s name, if applicable
    • hosting company or organization
    • date of the meeting or presentation
    • start and end times
  • Follow your organization’s standard template or form, if required.

Check whether your organization has a standard agenda template they require you use. For the purposes of logging and tracking communications, some organizations may require you to use a standard form to write your meeting agenda. This will be familiar to your participants and will ensure you include necessary information.

Do you have an acceptable, easy-to-read agenda format?

• • Include a header at the beginning that identifies:
    • meeting or presentation title
    • presenter’s name, if applicable
    • hosting company or organization
    • date of the meeting or presentation
    • start and end times
  • Use a table, outline, or bulleted or numbered list to format your agenda. See Templates for a generic agenda template.
  • Check if your organization has a standard template or form for agendas, and use if available.