50+ Sample Effective Meeting Agendas

What Is An Effective Meeting Agenda?

An effective meeting agenda is a requirement in most corporations and business environments. But it is also a common template for essentially any group. It is used in identifying and raising pressing issues and concerns of an organization.  

Inc.com shared a 2019 Doodle report that surveyed working professionals. The results showed that 44% of respondents cited that poorly run meetings gave them less time to do the rest of their work. Ineffective meetings were negatively affecting the productivity of businesses as a result. 

Elements To Include In A Meeting Agenda

It’s easy to jump into a meeting and allow it to snowball into something else entirely; what happens then is that the agenda is subsequently set aside and forgotten. Depending on the nature of the organization, a typical business meeting may consist of different parts but some common elements include the following:   

Recap and Summary of Previous Meeting: In formal instances, after a meeting is called to order, a member of the team recalls the previous meeting’s main points or open items (topics to be discussed) and shares it with the group. This should not take too much time and is merely a formality to help transition into the actual points of the meeting. Attendance: A roll call is not absolutely necessary but in structured hierarchies like in government for example, the presiding officer or clerk takes note of those present and documents it for whatever purpose. Challenges Encountered: The main objective of most meetings is to align tasks or update any goal. It is also a space to raise concerns and identify problems or challenges. After issues are identified, brainstorming ensues and team members can offer solutions, provide updates or give feedback. Resolutions/Conclusion: Solutions are what drive many corporate industries and the quicker a problem is resolved, the better it is for the team or department involved. Most meeting agendas list items as open or pending then consider an item ‘closed’ once it is done or fixed. Open Forum: It is important that there is an allotted time for anyone to raise concerns and questions. Especially if a meeting is dominated by only one or two members, it is good to give the floor to others who might need clarification or would want to contribute something relevant to the meeting.

How To Write An Effective Meeting Agenda

Aside from making sure that your meeting agenda includes all important points for discussion, prioritization is absolutely necessary because it differentiates what is essential and non-essential. It also redirects the focus of the group so they can tackle the most pressing issue first. These are the key steps in ensuring an effective meeting agenda:   

Step 1: Outline the Agenda

It is easier to come up with a meeting agenda if you follow a format or have a sense of structure. Try to emphasize only the key points and provide brief details for each item- person responsible, action or remark, deadline, etc. 

Step 2: State the Meeting’s Objective

Have you ever been called to a staff meeting where you had no idea what it was about? To ensure everyone is on the same page, it’s best to establish the objective prior to the meeting. For example, you can indicate the purpose of the meeting as the subject in an email invite or department memo. It keeps everyone focused and aware of what needs to be accomplished.  

Step 3: Have A Program Flow

An agenda can very well mean a program with a specific time frame. Sticking to a program flow can aid in effective time management. It not only saves time and resources, but also discourages people from straying from the main agenda.  

Step 4: Prioritize Items Wisely

Obviously, a meeting may consist of several and sometimes conflicting, agenda. It is important to sift through these and make sure that the most urgent and most important ones are covered first. It makes sense for companies and employees to know which items to prioritize. It saves both time and energy.  

FAQs 

How do you write a meeting agenda?

A meeting agenda can be in the form of a to-do list with clear bullet points. It’s wise to leave space for important details that could be used in the next meeting (e.g. for weekly or monthly committee meetings). Another convenient option is to use MS Excel. It’s ideal for recurring meetings so you can easily arrange your meetings into different tabs and put everything into one file. If you don’t want to start from scratch, use any of the editable samples above.

What is the agenda of a meeting?

Depending on the nature of the business or field of work, it can vary. Typically different types of meetings take place within an organization. The agenda may be about an upcoming annual shareholders summit, monthly management updates, weekly sales meetings, or even daily huddles among small departments. What these all have in common is that they involve mapping out a particular agenda and setting a schedule to come together and achieve a common goal.

What is an example of an agenda?

An example of an agenda for a weekly technical meeting might include: opening remarks or prayer, team objective review, challenges encountered, production updates, upcoming deadlines, and a question and answer segment to wrap up the meeting.

Meetings should serve a purpose. Calling a meeting only for the sake of having a meeting could be detrimental to the company; when employees could be attending to other more pressing matters or focusing on their main tasks. Make sure your meetings have a clearly defined agenda so it does not waste anyone’s time and energy. Browse the editable and downloadable samples now to get started!