Have you walked into a room full of people with no idea what is to be discussed? Does the organizer of the meeting just ramble on and wait for some to take charge. Does this waste your time and everyone who is at the meeting – YES! Is there a better way – YES!

If you are organizing a meeting you must have a written agenda.

Agendas are a guide to the meeting. Imagine trying to drive to a place that you have never been too. Would you just get in the car and drive? I hope not. Then why would anybody sit in a room full of people and not know what is to be discussed.

The tool is simple (see the above image for a reference) just a document template. However the thought you put into the agenda can make a smooth meeting or can turn a meeting into chaos.

For example last week the principle of my form and I had a client meeting to attend. I spent a few hours before the meeting gathering information and writing out an agenda. He came in and I reviewed it with him and he took the agenda and the other information and ran the meeting himself. When your meeting can run without you know you have a done your job.

Here’s what makes a good agenda:

Project/Client: I may have many projects with draft agendas under way so you need to note which project or client this is for.

Time/Date: Yes you should note this since you may want to reference this at a later date. I also include the meeting agenda when I send out meeting notes.

Agenda Items: This is the heart of the agenda and why everyone has taken time out of there day to meet with you. Get specific. Get granular. Really narrow the focus of the topic to be discussed/decided on.

Example:

• Review proposal from Company X – Approve or Reject

If done correctly an agenda is an invaluable aid to guiding your meeting. What other tips do you have for using an agenda?