We’ve all been in those meetings where it feels like everyone is talking over each other, or nothing at all is getting accomplished. Sounds familiar? That’s because those meetings don’t have a meeting agenda. A meeting agenda gives the meeting a clear purpose and helps you stay on track. It also helps to define responsibilities and allocate time to discuss each topic. Let’s dive in and see how you can create an awesome meeting agenda!

But first of all we need to clarify one question...

What is a Meeting Agenda?

A meeting agenda is a document that outlines the topics that need to be discussed during a meeting. It should include the time allocated for each topic as well as any relevant documents or materials that are needed for discussion. Having an agenda allows participants to stay focused on the task at hand by providing clear instructions on what needs to be accomplished. An effective agenda also helps clarify roles within the meeting by assigning specific tasks or responsibilities to certain individuals.

So not let's get to it.

How To Create an Agenda

Creating an effective agenda does not have to be difficult; here are five easy steps you can take to create your own custom meeting agenda:
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Establish the Meeting Type

The first step in creating your meeting agenda is to determine what type of meeting it will be.

Common Meeting types are:

Team meeting: regularly held, these staff meetings are fantastic chances for your team to collaborate and go over the various business components.

Status Updates: these meetings are often held to keep everyone up-to-date on the status of projects and tasks.

Project kickoff meeting: every new project kicks off with a meeting to ensure that everyone on the team is informed of their objectives, deliverables, and timelines.

Brainstorming meeting: harness the power of collective creativity by leveraging a conducive brainstorming session with your team to fully develop new ideas.

Feedback meeting: hosting a meeting to obtain constructive insights from your team on upcoming projects and protocols is an invaluable tool.

Agile/Scrum meetings: beneficial and hyper-focused conversations that agile groups use to conduct detailed sprint reviews, discuss customer feedback, project updates and much more.

Board meeting: at regular intervals, the board of directors for your organization come together to review team accomplishments and evaluate any policy issues. Formal meetings ensure that these topics are discussed in detail to guarantee successful outcomes.

Retrospective meeting: to assess the success of a project and identify areas that may require improvement, post-project meetings are essential for thorough reflection.

Onboarding meeting: assist new employees in comprehending the standard of professionalism expected to be upheld within their work setting.

Knowing the type of meeting will help you define the goal for the meeting, as well as identify who needs to attend (and who doesn’t).
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State the Objective of the Meeting

Once you know what type of meeting you are having, the next step is to establish an objective for the meeting. This should include both why this particular type of meeting was called and what outcome you would like to achieve from it. Make sure that your objectives are specific and measurable so that everyone knows exactly what they need to do in order for the meeting to be successful.

Identify Specific Meeting Topics

Now that you have established an objective for your meeting, it's time to figure out which topics need to be discussed in order for that objective to be achieved. Try not to get too bogged down with details at this stage; just list out which topics need to be covered during the course of the conversation.  

Allocate Time to Discuss Each Topic

Now that you know what topics will be discussed, it’s important that each one has its own allocated time slot so that nothing gets overlooked or rushed over during the course of the conversation. Allocating time slots will also help keep everyone on track and ensure that nothing is missed out due to time constraints.

Include a List of Necessary Documents  

When creating your agenda, make sure to include any necessary documents or materials needed by attendees prior to attending the meeting, so they can come prepared with any questions they may have about those documents or materials. This way, attendees won't waste valuable time trying to figure out what they need when they arrive at your office or virtual conference room ready for your big discussion!  

Conclusion

A properly planned out agenda can make all the difference between a productive and unproductive business gathering! With these steps outlined above, anyone can create an effective agenda template tailored specifically for their needs in no time at all! And if you're still feeling stuck on how, exactly where or how to start—don't worry! We got ya covered with our free downloadable template below! So grab yours today and start planning out your next successful business meetup now!

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Download your free meeting agenda template here.

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