How to Write a Business Meeting Agenda
Very few people enjoy having to attend business meetings. All too often, they take up a lot of time and produce very little results. Still, business meetings are an integral part of effective company communication, and they can be successful and pleasant if you take the time to properly organize beforehand.
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Instructions
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Prepare in advance: create an outline of the issues and projects your company currently needs to address, and the people responsible or needed to implement them. Prioritize this list and choose three to four topics for your meeting.
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Head your agenda with the date, location, starting and ending time and expected attendees. This will make it easier for you to refer back to the agenda when needed.
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Welcome your colleagues with a short note or appropriate quote. Keep your welcome statement positive and geared towards the topics your meeting will cover. For example, if your meeting agenda focuses on company communication, this quote from Charles Dickens may get your group thinking and put them in the right frame of mind:" Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true."
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Recap what has been accomplished since your last meeting. If this is your first meeting, use this space to express your goals for this and any subsequent meetings.
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Add the items you have chosen from your outline to the agenda. Include a brief statement that summarizes the task or goal; who will lead the discussion; supporting information and documents that correspond to the item; preparation that should be done prior to the meeting (such as reading the background information); the desired outcome; time allotted for discussion; and any follow-up tasks.
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Leave space between agenda items so that meeting participants can take notes.
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Run your agenda through your word-processing program's spelling and grammar checker. Save your completed agenda on your computer under an easy-to-find file name such as "Agenda-Company Communication-Date" or "Weekly Meeting-Date."
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Print a master copy and then make copies for all those who will be attending. Distribute the agenda and all supporting information at least 24 to 48 hours prior to the meeting so that participants have time to prepare.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your meeting as focused and brief as possible. Your meeting should run for no more than two hours unless you are giving a specialized presentation. If the meeting has to run longer, put a 15- to 20-minute break into the agenda that will allow people to stretch their legs and re-energize.
Start your meeting at the designated time even if everyone is not yet present, and do not interrupt the meeting to re-cap what has been discussed for latecomers. Keeping to a strict schedule will convey the importance of respecting the time that has been allotted for the meeting.
To encourage participation, let your co-workers know when you will be putting together the agenda for the next meeting. Tell them that if they have anything they would like to discuss, they should let you know by noon the day before you write the next agenda.
Give your employees a three-ring binder to keep their agendas, supporting information and notes in. This way, everyone can easily refer back to previous meetings if questions arise.
If the people in your company are accustomed to meandering meetings where a lot is discussed, but little is accomplished, they may balk, at first, at the idea of a more regimented agenda. In the long run, however, changing your meeting style will benefit both your company and your employees.
