How to Assemble Meeting Agendas
An effective meeting agenda is essential for most business meetings. A properly planned agenda will ensure that all important topics are addressed and everyone stays on track. By providing an agenda to attendees before a meeting, you also can ensure that everyone is prepared to deal with the issues at hand.
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Instructions
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Request agenda items from meeting participants. This will give everyone a chance to submit the issues that they think are most important to the topic at hand. Ask participants to estimate the amount of time they will need for their presentation.
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Review the items that were submitted and eliminate any that do not fit with the meeting's goals or that will take too long. Advise these presenters that their items will not be included and let them know whether they will be presenting at a later meeting, or whether they will need to address their topic in another fashion, such as a memo.
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Make a list of the agenda items in the order that they will be addressed. Beside each item note the name of the presenter and the allotted time for the item.
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Calculate the total time allotment for the meeting. If you have an hour for the meeting, try to schedule no more than 50 minutes worth of items. This will allow plenty of time for additional conversation and debate and should keep the meeting from running too long.
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Schedule the meeting and send a copy of the agenda to all participants. Send the agenda out at least 24 hours before the meeting to allow time for changes to be made as needed.
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Tips & Warnings
Take discussion time into account when allocating a time limit for each issue or presentation.
If the meeting participants need to bring something to the meeting, such as a copy of recent reports, make a note of this on the agenda to ensure that everyone comes prepared.
