How Do You Prepare An Agenda That Works?
People lose control of meetings because they prepare ineffective agenda. Here’s how to make sure that your meetings run the way that you want. 1) Put the goals for the meeting on the top of the agenda. These should appear as headlines above each major part of the agenda. They serve to tell everyone what you want to accomplish during the meeting. 2) Describe the outcomes for each goal. That is, tell people what will happen as a result of completing the goals for the meeting. These are the benefits (or incentives) for achieving the goals. Note: these can be left off of the agenda if you describe them briefly as part of introducing each goal. 3) Calculate the cost of the meeting and put this on the agenda. This shows everyone how much the meeting costs, which helps create a sense of appropriate urgency. It also helps you design a meeting that makes money for your business. 4) Plan activities that achieve the goals. These activities should be based on equitable participation and consensus.
