How to Write a Meeting Agenda
For meetings to go smoothly and result in effective solutions, it is essential to have a well written agenda. If you have things written down, you can save time and conduct a more efficient discussion.
Instructions
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1
Purpose
You will need to identify the purpose of the meeting. It is an essential consideration before you even decide to call it. The purpose needs to be defined and identifiable so everyone involved can bring concrete ideas to the table.
You can create agenda points with the purpose as a header. For instance, if the purpose of the meeting is to come up with new marketing ideas, your agenda points should be related to marketing. -
2
Preparation
Depending on the importance of the meeting, you will need time to prepare. If the meeting requires a lot of different departments to attend, you may have to send notifications and reminders well before the actual day and time so people can prepare.
It is also advisable that team leads or department heads are aware of the purpose of the meeting, so they can invite ideas and have people brainstorm before the actual discussion. -
3
Write it all down
Start with the main purpose and then continue adding points in the order of discussion. If there are any issues you need to discuss or clarify before moving on to the core material, list them first and take them on one by one.
You can further breakdown agenda points into proposed solutions and their pros and cons. These can be up for discussion as well, and people can come up with better ideas or solutions to problems. -
4
Keep it short and stick to it
Keep the agenda short and to the point. The purpose of the agenda is to provide you the parameters of the meeting, allowing you to focus on what is important and not deviate.
If any additional points come up through the course of the discussion, be sure to note them down separately. If the new points require a long discussion, save them for later and stick to the main agenda in order to get it all done first.
