Creating Meeting Agendas

The meeting agenda is an essential component for all meeting types and formats. Agenda writing does not have to be complicated, and once mastered, you will have the foundation to facilitate effective meetings of any type, both face-to-face and online.

Without a clear plan for a meeting, participants can arrive unprepared, the discussion can easily veer off-track, and attendees can feel their valuable time has been wasted These issues and others like them are most often the result of not establishing and sticking to a clear meeting agenda (Schwarz, 2015).

Whether for a short 30-minute, or a full-day meeting, an agenda sets a clear purpose for the meeting and lists the topics to be discussed. It should be created well in advance of the meeting so that it can be forwarded to participants in time for them to prepare and thus actively participate during the meeting. An effective agenda should also set clear expectations for what needs to occur before the meeting, and identify when the discussion is complete (Schwarz, 2015).

It may be necessary to solicit information from members to formulate an agenda, and this pre-meeting contact can serve to encourage active participation as well. The agenda should begin by clearly identifying the meeting date, time, place, and method of interaction (i.e. Zoom or Google Meet link if needed), as well as a list of participants.

Remember to include the purpose or meeting goal prominently, along with each planned discussion topic, the topic leader (if someone other than the meeting facilitator), and the time allotted for each. It is important to also be sure every task planned is related to the overall purpose or meeting objective. It is also a good idea to include a brief summary of relevant information that relates to each topic. Finally, the agenda should make clear distinctions between action and informational items.

Indeed.com recommends clarifying each agenda item’s purpose by phrasing discussion points as questions. For example, you could indicate, “What is the criteria to be used to outsource our event planning instead of handling it in-house?” Phrasing agenda items in this way invites discussion and is indicative of an interactive exchange. Note that many agendas also plan a certain amount of time for questions and/or additional announcements or sharing at the end.

A final review of the agenda is important to ensure all necessary topics have been included and that discussion items are appropriately ordered. Here are a few recommendations for ordering agenda items:

• Organize discussion items in the most logical order. This will help improve the flow of the meeting.

• Minimize the amount of time planned for routine items.

• Begin with the most important or crucial items first.

• End on a high note. Share any bad or negative news early in the meeting rather than holding it until the end.

• Be aware of the potential for information overload. If a discussion topic will take considerable time, it may be a good idea to plan a short break before moving on to the next item on the agenda.

Refer to Indeed.com for tips on how to write an agenda and to view a template that can be tailored to most any type of meeting.

The meeting agenda should be distributed to all participants well in advance of the scheduled meeting date and time. The amount of time needed to ensure participants have adequate time to prepare will vary based on the meeting type, length, and purpose. In general, the meeting agenda should be forwarded to participants at least 48 hours in advance, and a minimum of 24 hours. However, some experts recommend making the meeting agenda available several days before the meeting when possible (Heathfield, 2021).

Taking the time to create and distribute a clear, detailed agenda will make your in-person or online meetings more efficient and more likely to produce the results you seek. Meeting participants will appreciate the efforts made to ensure the meeting is organized and remains on task.