How Does a Meeting Agenda Work?

Meeting Agendas Enhance Effectiveness

An agenda is a written document that pre-plans a business meeting. Every participant receives a copy of the agenda. It is the meeting chairperson's responsibility to keep the meeting on schedule and to end it on time; an agenda lets participants monitor how efficiently the meeting is being run. The agenda focuses the goals of each business meeting. This is essential, since such meetings can be held for a wide range of reasons, including social, informative, motivational, sales, managerial, training, problem solving and strategic planning.

What Is on the Agenda?

The agenda lists the topics that the meeting will cover in order. The speaker who will present each topic is usually indicated. The agenda may also include the length of time to be allocated for each topic and any action items or expected results to be achieved during the meeting. The agenda also gives the start and end time of the meeting and its location, and lists who will be in attendance. Any handouts that will be available will also be itemized. Often, the last item on an agenda is an unspecified invitation for any "other business."

Using an Agenda Effectively

Effective meeting facilitators create their agendas in time to email copies to participants several days before the actual meeting. This allows for feedback and advance preparation, and helps everyone feel that they are important collaborators. During the meeting itself, the agenda can be used as an outline on which participants take notes or jot questions. Often, the agenda is arranged like an outline with Roman numerals and also contains large spaces between items, allowing for notes. Filing the agenda along with the hand-written notes is an informal and easy way to keep track of what occurred during the meeting.