https://boardroomliving.com/creating-an-effective-meeting-agenda/
We’ve all been to unproductive meetings that cost time and money. It doesn’t matter if it’s the wrong people in the room or unproductive discussions or even a lack of discussion, time spent in meetings isn’t cheap. A meeting agenda that’s effective will help you achieve your meeting’s goals and get closer to your company’s goals.
A concise and clear agenda makes everyone aware of what’s going to happen in the meeting, and it helps participants prepare for it. The best method to create an effective agenda for a meeting is to include the following essential components:
Define the goal of the meeting and list the expected outcomes of the meeting. This will keep you focused on the most important issues and prevent unnecessary side-bars.
Then, for each item on the agenda, you must define the topics to be discussed. This should include an overview of the subject, who is responsible for the discussion and the amount of time that should be devoted to the discussion. It is also beneficial to include the location and the time zone of the meeting, especially for teams with remote locations.
If you’re a team that is collaborative, consider the agenda items as a question that will be answered by the group (i.e., “What steps should we take to rent equipment?” ?”). Each discussion topic can be addressed as a query to stimulate discussion and help know what is expected of the meeting.
Set out a method to define how you’ll expect each agenda item to be addressed. This is an aspect of a meeting that is often left unnoticed but can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of a meeting. A clear process will allow participants decide on what to do with a subject that could cause off-topic discussions, or even a complete breakdown of the meeting. A process can allow participants to modify their remarks to fit the time frame or suggest that they have more time to discuss a subject.