How to Write Business Agendas
If you have ever been in a meeting that resembled an exercise in herding cats, you already recognize the value of having a formal agenda that doesn't invite conversations and emotions to spin off topic. An agenda ensures that items of importance can be raised and addressed within a given time slot and that participants will be clear on the meeting's objectives.
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Instructions
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Make a list of topics that need to be discussed in your meeting. Refer to any notes you have from the prior meeting to identify whether there were assignments that are now due for status updates.
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Determine how much time is available for your meeting. In most business scenarios, staff meetings are on the same day and time every week and usually last 30 to 60 minutes. In other cases such as the planning of a special event or campaign, meetings will be held on an as needed basis and could last several hours or even several days with scheduled breaks. The shorter the designated meeting time, the fewer agenda items should be on the list.
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Identify where the meeting is going to take place.
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Identify the date, time and location at the top of your agenda so that it will be the first thing your participants see and can note it on their calendars. If there is a specific topic that is going to be discussed (i.e., "Office Renovations and Temporary Relocations"), identify this in a subject line that is either centered or at the left hand margin and two lines below the time and location. If it's a regularly scheduled staff meeting, it's not necessary to provide a subject line.
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Identify who needs to attend the meeting (i.e., All District Managers). If you're going to have a speaker or facilitator make a special presentation to the group, it is professional courtesy to list this person at the top of your agenda along with a brief description of what she will be talking about (i.e., Literary Rep. Rebecca Larson from XYZ Publishing will be discussing overseas markets).
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Indicate below the subject line whether the participants will be required to bring anything with them (i.e., budget projections for the third quarter). If you bury this information too far into the agenda or list it at the end, attendees are likely to miss it and arrive unprepared.
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List your agenda items in descending order, with the most important issue listed first.
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Identify, where applicable, who will be in charge of leading the discussion or providing supplemental materials for each item on the agenda.
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Factor in a few minutes at the end of each meeting for participants to bring up any additional concerns that weren't addressed.
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Proofread your agenda carefully before you print it out.
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Photocopy the agenda and distribute it to your meeting's participants in advance. Have a copy of the agenda on hand the day of the meeting so that you can refer to it as the discussions get underway.
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Tips & Warnings
Monitor the discussion of agenda items so that they don't run over their allocated time. It may be helpful, in fact, to indicate on the agenda itself how much time will be dedicated to each issue. If necessary, set a timer so that participants will be aware of the need to be concise and not ramble or reiterate points that have already been made. Always make each participant feel as if his comments are of value even if you disagree with them. Discourage participants from interrupting one another during discussions. Only one speaker should have the floor at a time. For longer meetings that take place at a conference center, hotel, campus or resort, make sure that the agenda specifically identifies the blocks of free time that participants will have to themselves. Likewise, your agenda should identify when and where the meals will be served so that your participants won't be wandering around the facility looking for the company's breakfast buffet.
The only way to cure stragglers of their bad habits is to start your meetings without them. Emphasize punctuality, otherwise you're not going to be able to cover all of your agenda items in a timely manner and this will spill into an even longer agenda next time.
