
The template of a meeting agenda can prove to be really useful for business fraternity and meeting facilitators. Read on to find out more…
Most of the time, the answer to why some people meet, be it in the office or outside, is that there is an agenda. It becomes even more crucial where a meeting is concerned – a business meeting to be precise. There has to be an agenda for a business meeting within the company or between companies. If the representatives of a company do not know what to discuss in the meeting or deviate from the topic, it will be a sheer waste of time.
Template
Keep in mind that this is not a customized template and may not fit the bill for every business venture or organization. This is just to describe what fields are imperative for an agenda. Ultimately, devising a single template for all the meetings and companies is not a very good idea as it might not cater to all your needs.
[ Download meeting agenda template ]
Date: xx/xx/xx Time: 9.30 am to 10.15 am Type of Meeting: Meeting Facilitator: Invitees: Call to Order: Roll Call: Approval of minutes from last meeting: Open Issues: New Business: Adjournment: |
Layout
The layout of a meeting agenda typically comprises a header and a body. There is no standardization in these templates as they differ from firm to firm. However, there are obviously some common aspects in every agenda format. A header usually has these items –
- Project Name
- Purpose, Objectives and Elements of the Meeting
- Expected Attendees
- Date and Time
- Place
That covers all the basic elements concerning a meeting. Now comes the body of the agenda in a typical template which consists of actual items to be discussed and resolved in a meeting. In short, all the points to be covered during meeting are mentioned here. Words like discuss, adopt, declare, announce are a good option. Adding the suggested time allotted for an item can be a good practice. However, the actual time taken might vary from the agenda. Still, it’s a good idea to write down the proposed time for each discussion. The items in the body of the agenda, common to almost all the meetings are:
- Pleasantries: Introductions and welcoming the guests is an important aspect of a meeting. It helps to break the ice and people get to know each other if they do not get together often.
- Adapting and approving the minutes of the earlier meeting.
- Discussion on the actual topics in the agenda of that day. Topics can be scrutinizing the budget, presentation of a financial report and discussion on it.
- Important announcements are another significant part of the agenda, especially if it is a board meeting agenda. However, there is a chance that announcements can make the participants drift away from the main business at hand. Thus, if the announcements are done early in the meeting, it is better.
- Finally, in any meeting agenda, be it a staff one or an NGO meeting for a new project, there is a mention of the time and date of the next meeting.
At the end of the day, you don’t take the same medicine for different medical conditions, the same applies to these templates. You need to be more specific! Therefore, you can make use of a checklist to ensure that all the necessary topics are getting covered in your agenda. You can also take the help of the attendees to suggest the topics that are needed to be discussed in the particular meeting. Formulate a rough draft first and then only send the fair copy of the meeting agenda to all the invitees through email. This will give them ample time to prepare for the meeting which will be more focused on the agenda at hand. All the best!