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Compiling an
Agenda
A well-compiled agenda will help focus the direction of a meeting
and ensure all the necessary discussion points are covered within
the allotted time period.
Here are some tips on how to put together an effective agenda and
how to the schedule items that need to appear.
What is an
agenda?
An agenda is essentially a list of issues or items that have to
be raised and debated within the context of a time-limited meeting.
The format of a good agenda is short, simple and clear.
Compiling an agenda
The first step is to gather together all relevant information,
sort out the items for discussion and then assess the level of
detail that needs to be covered in the meeting. Where the agenda
needs to incorporate a range of items, assign a time limit to each
to ensure the overall time allocated to the meeting is appropriate.
Writing an
agenda
Agendas are always headed with the date, time and location of
the meeting and restricted to one sheet of paper if possible.
The traditional structure runs along the following lines:
-
Welcome and introductions (if
appropriate)
-
Apologies for absence
-
Approve minutes of last meeting
-
Matters arising from last meeting
-
List of issues to be raised and
covered
-
Any other business
-
Details of next meeting
Number each item and assign a start/finish time for the benefit of
attendees not required to attend the whole meeting. Always type
agendas and leave plenty of room in the margins for notes.
Structuring an
agenda
The order in which items appear on an agenda is important since it
can influence the duration and efficiency, of a meeting. Topics
should be ordered logically and items with a similar theme grouped
together. This will reduce the risk of re-visiting the same ground
over and over.
Begin with routine
and straightforward business where decisions are likely to be easy
and uncontroversial. Housekeeping matters, such as apologies for
absence and approval of minutes from the last meeting, should be
placed at the top, followed by reports from those who were assigned
various tasks at the previous meeting.
Once the less contentious issues are out of the way, current
issues should be listed on the agenda and this is normally where the
bulk of discussion occurs. Begin discussion of these points as soon
as possible when participants are alert and be generous in the time
you allow for discussion of these agenda points.
Finally, allow for any other business and plan to set the date, time
and location of the next meeting.
Distributing an Agenda
Circulate a preliminary agenda well in advance and ask for and
comments, including any additions. Once the draft agenda has been
approved, any changes will require consent from all participants.
Distribute the draft and final copies as far in advance as possible
and attach any relevant papers to allow those attending enough time
for preparation. Where possible, include on the agenda an indication
of the likely duration of the meeting overall and the time
allocation dedicated to each individual item. If in doubt, be
generous with timings: participants are happy for meetings to finish
earlier than planned but less happy if they overrun!
Attach any relevant supplementary papers to the final copy of the
agenda before you circulate it and make sure that all participants
are aware of whats expected of them in plenty of time before the
meeting
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Meetings
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