How to Design Agendas for Successful Meetings
Setting the agenda is one of the most critical parts in planning an effective meeting. The agenda sets the tone for the meeting and lets the participants know what to expect. Meeting agendas also keep your meeting on track and allow you to accomplish what you need to in the designated time frame. Set a great meeting agenda and then stick to it. Your meeting will be productive and participants will gladly attend your meetings in the future.
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Instructions
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Determine the goals for the meeting. Identify any issues that need to be resolved or takeaways that need to be delegated. Make sure your meeting has a specific purpose or set of objectives.
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Determine participants. Based on the meeting's list of objectives, determine which people need to be involved.
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Set aside five minutes at the beginning of the meeting for introductions and an overview of the meeting's goals and objectives.
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Break the meeting into manageable topics. This allows participants to be prepared for the subject matter. If there is only one objective to the meeting you only need one topic. Allow adequate time for each agenda item and list the time on the agenda. This will help keep the meeting from veering off track.
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Delegate parts of the meeting to different participants. One speaker can get a little boring. Ask a topic expert to run part of the meeting, but make sure they stay on topic and don't exceed their allotted time.
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Set aside 10 minutes to wrap up the meeting. Summarize what was accomplished and review anything that requires follow-up. Identify the individual or group responsible for tasks resulting from the meeting.
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Tips & Warnings
Meetings longer than 90 minutes should include adequate breaks. Designate these times in the meeting agenda and stick to them. Encourage participants to use break time to check messages and email.
