Going into a meeting without clear expectations or an idea of the talking points is frustrating for everyone involved. In short, an effective meeting agenda clearly sets the stage for what will and what will not be included and can ensure everyone is pushing in the same direction during the meeting. Going into a meeting with a clear agenda and timeboxed schedule means you and your group can be more effective and not get lost in side-discussions or unagreed topics. ProductivityĮven the most simple meeting agenda will enable both the facilitator and participants to be productive. If you have multiple people leading sections of the meeting, ensure you include clear timings for each of those sections so everyone can prepare and keep the meeting on track. You’ll also include information on how long the meeting will run for and timebox each section. By including the location or virtual room, date and time, and any necessary links, your meeting agenda will contain all the information people need to be there and adjust their calendars. In the most basic terms, a meeting agenda will help everyone involved align their schedules and attend. If you want your meeting attendees to contribute meaningfully, give them a chance to prepare with a good meeting agenda. This might mean preparing discussion topics, supplementary materials, or other items.Ĭreating your meeting agenda and sending it out well in advance means everyone can do what they need to come to the meeting and make it a success. Help identify and remove ineffective meetings Preparationīy outlining what will be covered in your meeting, your agenda will ensure every team member can adequately prepare.

It helps other team members be aware of your core meeting objective, what’s going to be covered, and to give them time and space to prepare. Without it, your team meeting can quickly go off the rails or be unproductive. Perhaps most importantly, a meeting agenda is how you can your meeting participants can stay on track and ensure everything that needs to get done is completed. You’ll have an itemized list of every agenda item, reminders of the meeting goal and all your relevant documents attached too. First up, it helps ensure the meeting facilitator has everything they need to run an effective meeting. Why is a meeting agenda important?Ī meeting agenda is an effective tool for many reasons. This meeting agenda includes meeting objectives and a step by step process complete with timings. You can see an example of a meeting agenda template here.

This makes it easy to follow and share with meeting participants. The best meeting agendas also help you effectively run the meeting on the day by giving you a step-by-step list of what to cover and timings for each major section of the meeting.Ī meeting agenda is usually created in a clear, shareable format, such as a Word document or SessionLab agenda. This means including all information relating to logistics, links and attachments and mentioning any preparations you wish everyone to do before the meeting. Your meeting agenda should also give everyone involved the information they need to successfully attend and adequately prepare. It should list all of the topics and tasks that will be covered during the meeting and also clearly articulate the purpose and expectations of the meeting.

In short, an agenda is a breakdown of all the items that will be covered during a meeting.

Sample meeting agenda template