Bad meetings get you nowhere, waste your team’s time, and can even cause headaches. A whopping 92% of employees agree that meetings are unproductive and costly. How did we get here? One key factor is the lack of a crystal-clear agenda. With a sharp agenda, everyone knows exactly why the meeting was scheduled, what decisions need to be made, and what the next steps are.
When handled effectively, meetings can be a great forum for communication, collaboration, and team-building. A well-structured agenda can make all the difference. Here’s a guide on how to create a simple and effective meeting agenda.
A Quick Introduction to Creating a Meeting Agenda
A good meeting agenda includes all the key details your team needs, such as discussion topics, goals, and planned activities. Agendas may vary in format, but their main purpose is always to provide participants with clear guidance and set expectations.
Agendas are a simple yet powerful tool that can make the difference between spending days in meetings or having just a few highly effective sessions. Creating an agenda also forces you to reflect on past meetings, helping to avoid repetition or time-wasting.
So, agendas help you have fewer, more productive meetings. They also ensure the team stays on track.
Here are a few tips:
Understand the Purpose of the Meeting
Before diving into how to create a meeting agenda, it’s crucial to understand the purpose or goal of the meeting. If you don’t know why you’re holding a meeting, how can you decide which points are relevant to cover? Defining the purpose is usually straightforward. If you’re unsure, you can follow these steps:
- Set a Goal. Define a concrete goal for the meeting to keep the team focused. Keep it simple to ensure it’s realistic. Example: “We will analyze this month’s sales data and set goals for the next month.”
- Break Down the Topic into Smaller Parts. Create a list of topics that need to be discussed. To make it clear what’s open for discussion, you can frame the points as questions. Depending on the type of meeting, you can adjust the agenda to better suit its purpose. Informative meetings focus on sharing information, decision-making meetings prioritize actions, and brainstorming sessions are often more loosely structured.
- Identify Decision Points. Determine which items require action or a decision, and mark them clearly. By the end of the meeting, you should have a list of next steps for these specific points.
Key Components of a Meeting Agenda
An effective agenda should have a clear purpose, but it should also include certain specific details:
- Date, time, and location of the meeting
- A list of participants and their roles
- Topics to discuss, with a brief description for each
- Timeframes for each item
- Specific goals for each topic
- Any necessary preparations or materials needed
The agenda should be made available to the entire team well in advance of the meeting. Ideally, send it both in the calendar invitation and in a separate email.
Meeting Agenda Templates
Looking for an easy start? Use a template. Here are some free options:
Steps to Create an Agenda Now that you’ve gathered your thoughts, it’s time to put the agenda together. Here are the basic steps:
- Gather input from key individuals. Ask leaders and participants for their ideas and incorporate them into the agenda.
- Prioritize topics based on their relevance and importance.
- Allocate time for each item.
- Assign responsibility for each topic.
- Finalize and distribute the agenda well in advance of the meeting.
Best Practices for an Effective Meeting Agenda
Preparation is key, but it can be stressful. Here are some tips to make the process easier:
- Keep the agenda simple and focused.
- Allow extra time for unforeseen discussions.
- Remember to include breaks if the meeting is longer.
Tips for Leading Meetings Based on Your Agenda
Creating an agenda is one thing, but sticking to it is another. Here are some tips to keep the meeting on track:
- Start by reviewing the agenda
- Keep discussions within the allocated time.
- Encourage all participants to contribute.
- Summarize key points and next steps at the end of the meeting.
Adjust Your Agenda for Virtual Meetings
For virtual meetings, especially with remote participants, here are a few extra things to consider:
- Conduct a tech check before the meeting.
- Include moments where the group can move around, like breakout rooms or group discussions, to keep energy levels high.
Do you need a meeting room for your event? At Helio, we offer a variety of meeting rooms for 2-150 people at 10 locations across Stockholm. Here you can browse and filter all our meeting rooms to suit your needs. We also have rooms equipped with the latest technology for hybrid meetings, streaming, and interactivity.
If you’d like to discuss meetings or agendas with us, you can always reach us at info@helio.se (we respond within 30 minutes!) or call us at 08 522 232 00.
