Think of a meeting you attended that didn't go well. What do you think the meeting organiser could have done differently to get a better outcome?
Some common answers to this question include:
- Have the right people at the meeting
- Have a stronger chairperson or better meeting protocol
- Give people more time to prepare for the meeting.
The meeting agenda is a valuable tool in achieving all three of these outcomes.
Get the right people to the meeting
A well constructed agenda provides context for people when they are considering their attendance. Making it clear when decision makers are required at the meeting will allow people to make an informed decision about attending in person, sending a delegate or choosing not to be represented at the meeting.
If partial attendance is acceptable, ordering the agenda so that like items are grouped together and providing an indicative time for their discussion allows the decision maker the option of being there for critical decisions.
Sending a personal note to key contributors or providing them with a briefing before the meeting also increases the likelihood that the person who attends your meeting will be able to contribute as expected. The development of the agenda is a useful prompt for these activities.
Strong chair person and sound meeting protocol
The agenda will identify the chair person and, ideally, will have been discussed with and cleared by the chair before being distributed to attendees.
A few structural elements in the agenda will assist the chair to control the meeting and let attendees know how to contribute.
- A clear meeting purpose allows the chair to bring discussion back on topic when it veers off course.
- Allocated times for agenda items allows the chair to keep the meeting moving.
- An agenda review item in the introductory section of the meeting allows the chair to establish and confirm meeting protocol by asking people for comments and variations.
- An indication of the expected outcome for each agenda item (e.g. Make decision, seek input, share information) supports the chair in prompting the desired contribution from attendees.
Give people time to prepare for the meeting
Distributing the agenda in advance of the meeting gives people time to consider what they need to do to prepare for the meeting. Including the open actions at this time increases the likelihood of receiving a meaningful update and reduces the frequency of the “I didn’t know I had an action” excuse.
When meeting papers are available, sending them out as soon as possible also assists people to be fully prepared.
While the meeting agenda wont’ eliminate every factor that can take a meeting off the rails, it can provide guidance and support to the chair and attendees. It’s definitely worth taking the time to review your meeting agendas.
Another tip for you.
Let people know what type of meeting record will be provided before the meeting.
