The best way to ensure that those attending a meeting are sure about its purpose is to send them a clear agenda well in advance. There are several ways to prepare an agenda, so find and utilize the one best suited to your purposes.
Compiling Agendas
An agenda for a meeting is essentially a list of items or issues that have too be raised and debated. It should be short, simple, and clear. First, gather all relevant information, then sort out which items need to be discussed and in how much detail. You may find it useful to consult with other participants. If there are many issues to discuss, assign a time limit to each to help ensure that you do not overrun the allotted duration of the meeting. How far in advance you begin to prepare an agenda will depend on how much preparation time is needed.
Points to Remember
- An agenda should contain details of the meeting’s date, time, place, and purpose.
- An agenda should be specific as possible about the main purpose of the meeting.
- All participants need to know exactly what is expected of them in a meeting
- The time devoted to each item should be indicative of its priority.
- Time allocation should err on the generous side. Nobody minds if a meeting ends early, but overrunning is unpopular.
Distributing an Agenda
Once you have drafted an agenda, send it to the other participants for comments, additions, or approval. If you wish to add or delete items from a formally approved agenda, you will need to obtain the consent of the participants. They will be more likely to agree to a deletion than an addition, unless they have a particular interest in an item you wish to drop. It is not acceptable to present participants with a revised agenda as they arrive at a meeting unless the last-minute events have made it necessary – for example, because of illness of the chairperson or a sudden change in financial circumstances. Distribute the final agenda as far as possible in advance of the meeting.
Structuring a Meeting
When you come to compile our meeting’s agenda, try to order topics logically and group similar items together. This prevents the risk of going over the same ground again and again. Your agenda should start off with “housekeeping” matters, such as the appointment of a chairperson and apologies for any absences , before moving on to approving the minutes of the last meeting (if relevant) and hearing reports from those assigned tasks at the previous meeting.
The next items covered at the meeting should be current issues – for example, the latest financial accounts and sales figures – about which the bulk of the discussion is likely to occur. Finally, allow for any other business, and plan to set the date, time, and location of the next meeting.
Tips
- Avoid meeting at low energy times of the day, such as straight after lunch.
- Ensure the chairperson is informed of any agenda changes.
- Keep an agenda as short and simple as possible.
- Try to restrict an agenda to one sheet of paper.
- Discuss the most important items early in the proceedings, when participants are most alert.
Things to Do
- Decide which issues need to be raised at the meeting.
- Send a draft agenda to all attendees, inviting their suggestions for other items.
- Incorporate any suggestions into the next draft.
- Recirculate the agenda to all tie meting’s attendees asking for their approval, and making it final.
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