How to Create a Follow Up Agenda to a Meeting

Meeting chairs are often responsible for developing meeting agendas.

Meetings are designed to move specific business goals and objectives forward by mobilizing staff to carry out strategic business goals. This effort may require a series of meetings with specific agendas that direct the staff. The written agenda is an important tool used to shape the direction of the meeting and to keep participants on task. Agendas should be created for each meeting and reflect the overall goals of the project or program as set forth by the organization.

Instructions

1. Review notes from the last meeting. At the end of each meeting, the meeting chair should note each of the decisions taken, the actions agreed upon, the deadlines established and the people taking responsibility for such activities or tasks. If you are not the leader or key contributor, it might be best to take notes during the meeting especially if minutes are not taken. This will ensure an accurate accounting of meeting developments.

2. Account for outstanding agenda items not resolved in the last meeting. Compare the developments at the last meeting against the current meeting's agenda. Outstanding agenda items should be included as priority agenda items on the next meeting's agenda.

3. Draft a follow-up meeting memo to distribute to participants from the last meeting and to interested parties. This should note any outstanding activities from the last agenda, the additional matters addressed at the meeting, any updates on deadlines and note the responsible parties for activities and tasks. Include a request in the memo for further input or clarifications by a certain deadline. This will ensure that the information contained in the memo is consistent with the meeting participants' recollections.

4. Set goals for the next meeting's agenda. Use the overall goals and objectives of the project or program as the basis. After the deadline for input on the follow-up meeting memo has ended, use the specific development information from the last meeting in developing the next meeting's agenda.

5. Prioritize agenda items to ensure that the most important matters are addressed in a timely manner. Additionally, allocate a maximum time for each agenda item. This will ensure the most efficient and effective use of meeting participants' time.

6. Decide who should be present at the next meeting. Based on agenda items, this might not be the same participants from the last meeting. Meetings should only include those parties who make a contribution to the meeting.

7. Circulate the meeting's agenda at least a week before the meeting date. Agenda distribution should include anticipated participants, prior participants and interested parties. It is a good practice to use the end of each meeting to find out the meeting participants' availability for meeting dates. After establishing the best availability dates, ask them to tentatively save the date for the next meeting in case their input is needed.

References

• "Business: The Ultimate Resource"; Bloomsbury Publishing Plc; 2002
• MindTools.com: Running Effective Meetings

Resources

• Free Management Library: Guidelines to Conducting Effective Meetings