Meeting agenda

Predictability-Strength Meetings and collaboration

For each item: for information, for input or for a decision.

A meeting asks for five things at once: listening, reading faces, judging when it is your turn, holding on to your thought, and all of that at someone else's pace. The topic is usually the easiest part. An agenda that says for each item what is being asked takes the guessing away.

When to use it

  • A meeting keeps drifting off topic

Tip

More than four items? Then the meeting is often too full. Choose, or move an item to next time. And name decisions out loud: what gets decided over coffee has not been decided for anyone who was not standing there.

What you fill in

  • Which meeting
  • When
  • How long
  • Where or how
  • Purpose of the meeting, in one sentence
  • Item 1
  • Item 1: what are you asking?
  • Item 1: who, and how many minutes
  • Item 2
  • Item 2: what are you asking?
  • Item 2: who, and how many minutes
  • Item 3
  • Item 3: what are you asking?
  • Item 3: who, and how many minutes
  • Item 4
  • Item 4: what are you asking?
  • Item 4: who, and how many minutes
  • What will not be covered
  • What everyone reads or does beforehand
  • Input can also be given in writing, in the chat beforehand
  • Side topics go in the car park
  • Decisions are in writing within a day

The tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Example result

Made with the example in the tool. With your own details you get your own version, ready to copy.

AGENDA: Customer Service team meeting When: Tuesday 24 November, 9:30, 50 minutes Where: meeting room 2.1, or online via the usual link Purpose: Agree the new way of handling customer queries. 1. Customer queries in November: where we stand What is asked: for information, you only need to listen (Ben, 5 minutes) 2. The new way of working from 1 December What is asked: for discussion, we gather ideas and questions and do not decide anything yet (Olivia, 20 minutes) 3. Who covers the customer line in Christmas week What is asked: for decision, at the end of this item we make a decision (Olivia, 10 minutes) Not covered: Planning for next year. We will discuss that on 8 December. Beforehand: • Read the short note on the new way of working (two pages, attached) How we work: • Input can also be given in writing: put it in the chat beforehand and we will include it. • We note side topics in the car park, and agree when we will come back to them. • We name decisions out loud, and they are in writing within a day.