Creating an agenda for a group meeting can help participants stay on track.
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We’ve all been a part of team meetings where most participants are clueless about the purpose of the meeting, and the speakers steer the discussion off-track. Show
What follows is a true catastrophe. You’d find your team clocking in many unproductive hours because of the ‘said meeting’ without achieving any objective. Good news! A meeting agenda can help you avoid this and be the answer to all your woes. ✌ An effective meeting agenda is a plan you share with your meeting participants. It’ll help your team set clear expectations of what needs to happen before, during, and after the meeting. In this article, we’ll discuss what a meeting agenda is and learn the five key steps involved in writing one. We’ll also look at 16 meeting agenda template options and explore the reasons why your entire team needs a meeting agenda. This Article Contains:
If you’re more of a visual learner check out this vlog on meeting agendas! Let’s get started. Why you Need an Agenda for Every MeetingSitting through a meeting that doesn’t have an agenda is pretty similar to setting out on a treasure hunt without a map.  Can we all agree on how unproductive that would be? 😐 A meeting agenda allows your team to prepare for the meeting topic, ensure that everyone is on the same page, and keep them on track to hit their objectives. Meeting agendas:
It consists of a list of topics, action items, and activities you want to discuss during the meeting. A simple meeting agenda could be a short bulleted list. More detailed agendas include descriptions for each agenda item, reference material, and expected outcomes for each discussion topic. Formal agendas also include timing and presenter information for each agenda item. An example of a formal agenda can be a city council agenda used in a state’s city council meeting. These agendas can have an open forum section that makes time for public comment. But formal meeting agendas aren’t restricted to the government. You can use them in your company’s meetings too. You just have to choose the agenda that suits your team the best. Now that you know what a meeting agenda is, let’s look at how you can write one. ✍ How to Write a Meeting Agenda? 5 Key StepsHere are the five easy steps you can follow to create the right meeting agenda for your team: 1. Establish the meeting typeNot informing your team about the type of meeting they’d be attending can cause a lot of confusion. Imagine a team member attending a regular meeting only to find out that it’s their performance review. The horror! 😱 To avoid catching people off-guard, make sure you all know what the meeting is about. Meetings can be of several different types, including:
2. State the objective of the meetingWhat are the top reasons you’re having a meeting with your team? Do you want to update them about a project? Do you want their insights on something? Or maybe you just want to unwind and discuss last night’s game over a chilled glass of beer. 🍻 Clearly stating the meeting objective gives your team a heads-up on what’s coming their way. At the very least, they’ll know whether to bring a project report or a beer to the meeting. 😜 3. Identify specific meeting topicsOnce you have a clear meeting goal, make a list of discussion topics you want your team to cover. We’re going to let you in on our secret to make your meetings more engaging. 🤫 Make sure to pick discussion topics that affect everyone in the meeting. This way, you’ll have all your team members willing to participate in the discourse. Related: Virtual Meeting Etiquette! 4. Allocate time to discuss each topicMeetings are expensive and can be difficult to organize. They’re only productive when they can utilize time effectively. That’s why it’s important to allocate a certain amount of time to discuss each meeting topic. And you won’t end up straying and spending all your available time on a single topic. Using a consent agenda is another time-saving trick for your meetings. A consent agenda groups recurring discussion topics into a single agenda item that you can easily cross-off. These measures will make sure your meetings don’t become a time-suck and a calendar clogger. 👀 5. Include a list of necessary documentsLet’s say you hold a meeting with your project stakeholders. One way to make the meeting more productive is to share all project documents through your team meeting agendas ahead of the meeting. Think of this as one of the pre-reading activities your teacher would ask you to do back in school. 🤓 This practice sets the right context for every participant in the meeting and empowers them to contribute to the discourse. Now that you know what to do, let’s look at some meeting agenda examples to help you see what these steps look like in action. An Example Agenda for Your Team MeetingHere’s a simple meeting agenda example for your reference: Design Team Meeting Date: 20/07/21 Time: 09:00 am – 09:45 am Meeting Participants: @SpongeBob, @Patrick, @Mr.Krabs, @Squidward Meeting’s Purpose:
Agenda a. Before the meeting:
b. Discussion topics:
c. Action items:
This sample should give you an idea of how you want to design your meeting agenda. To help you further, let’s look at some meeting agenda templates. 16 Meeting Agenda TemplatesHere are 16 meeting agenda templates that you can use to create your next agenda: 1. Weekly 1-on-1 meeting agenda template by ClickUpOne-on-one meetings are your chance to connect and align with the people you manage in the most effective way possible. ClickUp’s 1:1 meeting template keeps all of your agendas—tailored for each individual—in one organized place. Download this template 2. All hands team meeting agenda template by ClickUpClickUp’s all-hands meeting template helps to keep communication open across the company, and ensures everyone is aligned and up to speed with individual and group goals. There’s room to share information from updates to announcements about future agendas and encourage collaboration and alignment throughout the team. Download this template 3. Scrum meeting agenda template by ClickUpThis scrum meeting agenda template by ClickUp will make daily meetings a breeze. Daily status meetings about tasks for projects help to ensure that a team is aware of the progress on their front. Download this template 4. Meeting Notes Agenda Template by ClickUpClickUp’s meeting note-style agenda template is the perfect place to keep all event meeting notes, key takeaways and action items. Download this template 5. Project post mortem Template by ClickUpProjects don’t always go to plan. Use this project post-mortem template by ClickUp to set new goals and keep your team heading in the right direction. Download this template 6. Meeting minutes template by ClickUpThis collaborative template is a ClickUp Doc designed to provide the perfect outline for a successful meeting summation. ClickUp’s Meeting Minutes Template includes pre-built pages for organizing teams, individual meeting notes, and instructions for getting the most out of your meeting with this template! Download this template 7. Sprint retrospective brainstorm meeting template by ClickUpSave time and gain valuable insights with this simple Sprint Retrospective Template. Whether you are running an agile team meeting or a project management meeting, this template will help you build a crystal-clear picture of what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what to change moving forward. Download this template 8. Team meeting agenda template by Meeting BoosterThe main objective of team meetings is to share important information with team members, align on goals, and call out any blockers. This team meeting agenda template helps the team stay focused on the goals of the meeting. Download this template 9. Board meeting agenda template by Template LabBoard meetings tend to run over time. Set a schedule for your next board meeting using this board meeting agenda template to stay on track and finish your meeting on time. Download this template 10. Project kickoff meeting agenda template by DocketIt’s important to set the tone for a new project from the start. Use this project kickoff meeting agenda template to facilitate a successful project launch! Download this template 11. Meeting dashboard template by ClickUpUse this ClickUp meeting dashboard template as an agenda for your next meeting. This template makes it easy to see the status of different tasks during a meeting. Download this template 12. Brainstorm meeting agenda template by Owl LabsThis creative brainstorming meeting agenda is a great way to keep your brainstorming meetings on track from week to week. This template makes it easy to run your meeting and stay focused on brainstorming. Download this template 13. Board of directors meeting minutes template by ClickUpCreate structure with this ClickUp Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Template. Record and tag your attendees, organize agenda action items, and take detailed notes for each agenda. Download this template 14. HR meeting agenda template by WhereHR departments have a lot to keep track of. This HR meeting agenda template will give your HR team a way to come together for a productive meeting that isn’t complicated or stressful. Download this template 15. Marketing meeting agenda template by HugoUse this marketing meeting agenda to bring your marketing department together to celebrate wins, align on goals, and identify project blockers. Download this template 16. Project management meeting agenda template by HypercontextThis project management meeting agenda template will help you identify objectives, risks, and deadlines for your next team project. Download this template Cross-off Stress from Your Work Life with Meeting AgendasAn effective meeting agenda will make team collaboration seem like a cakewalk. And when collaboration becomes easy, your team can focus on amping up their productivity and getting their creative juices flowing. With the help of a project management tool like ClickUp, writing effective meeting agendas and managing meetings are easier than ever! ClickUp lets you document every meeting, manage agendas, take down effective meeting minutes, assign comments to your team, and so much more. How can you ensure that the meeting stays on track to the agenda?10 Tactics to Keep Your Meeting on Track. Prepare Your Points — Not Just an Agenda — in Advance. ... . Provide the Purpose. ... . Guide Your Listeners. ... . Be Ready to Listen.. Prepare Questions. ... . Keep Detours Brief. ... . Know When You've Finished Your Point. ... . Give Concise Credit.. Why is it important to create and follow an agenda in meetings?A meeting agenda helps you and your colleagues prepare for a meeting and guide yourselves through the items you need to discuss. Time spent in planning an agenda will likely save time for all meeting participants by providing a clear set of topics, objectives, and time frames.
What is the purpose of a team meeting agenda?Your team meeting agenda serves a really valuable purpose — to let people know what's happening and when. It's your go-to meeting guide that sets the date, time, attendees, and discussion topics. Your meeting audience should receive the team meeting agenda before the meeting date.
Why it is important to distribute an agenda to all participants before a meeting?Agendas Help Attendees Prepare
If all attendees have access to the agenda prior to the start of a meeting, they can review discussion points and plan ahead for any information, comments, or questions they would like to communicate during the meeting.
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