We’ve all been a part of team meetings where most participants are clueless about the purpose of the meeting, and the speakers steer the discussion off-track.
What follows is a true catastrophe.
You’d find your team clocking in many unproductive hours because of the ‘said meeting’ without achieving any objective.
Good news!
A meeting agenda can help you avoid this and be the answer to all your woes. ✌
An effective meeting agenda is a plan you share with your meeting participants. It’ll help your team set clear expectations of what needs to happen before, during, and after the meeting.
In this article, we’ll discuss what a meeting agenda is and learn the five key steps involved in writing one. We’ll also look at 16 meeting agenda template options and explore the reasons why your entire team needs a meeting agenda.
If you’re more of a visual learner check out this vlog on meeting agendas!
Let’s get started.
Benefits of an Effective Meeting Agenda
Sitting through a meeting that doesn’t have an agenda is pretty similar to setting out on a treasure hunt without a map.
A meeting agenda allows your team to set the meeting’s cadence , prepare for the meeting topic, ensure that everyone is on the same page, and keep them on track to hit their objectives.
Meeting agendas:
- Give the meeting a clear purpose
- Help you stay on track
- Help define responsibilities
It consists of a list of topics, action items , and activities you want to discuss during the meeting.
A simple meeting agenda could be a short bulleted list. More detailed agendas include descriptions for each agenda item, reference material, and expected outcomes for each discussion topic.
Formal agendas also include timing and presenter information for each agenda item.
An example of a formal agenda can be a city council agenda used in a state’s city council meeting. These agendas can have an open forum section that makes time for public comment.
But formal meeting agendas aren’t restricted to the government.
You can use them in your company’s meetings too. You just have to choose the agenda that suits your team the best.
Now that you know what a meeting agenda is, let’s look at how you can write one. ✍
How to Write a Meeting Agenda? 5 Key Steps
Here are the five easy steps you can follow to create the right meeting agenda for your team:
1. Establish the meeting type
Not informing your team about the type of meeting they’d be attending can cause a lot of confusion.
Imagine a team member attending a regular meeting only to find out that it’s their performance review .
The horror! 😱
To avoid catching people off-guard, make sure you all know what the meeting is about.
Meetings can be of several different types, including:
- Team meeting: also referred to as a staff meeting, these are opportunities for your team to discuss various business aspects
- Board meeting: a formal meeting among your organization’s board of directors. They’re generally held at regular intervals to review team performances and policy issues
- Executive session: held by board members regularly before their routine board meetings
- Recurring meeting: daily, weekly, or monthly meetings that repeat regularly
- Project kickoff meeting
: conducted at the beginning of every new project to inform the team about project objectives, deliverables, and timelines - Brainstorming meeting: used to flesh out a new idea with your teams in a conducive brainstorming session
- Feedback meeting: hosted to gather constructive feedback from your team regarding new projects and processes
- Agile meeting
: a special meeting used to hold hyper-focused discussions for agile teams to conduct sprint reviews, share valuable project information, customer feedback, project updates, or a beer to the meeting.
3. Identify specific meeting topics
Once you have a clear meeting goal, make a list of discussion topics you want your team to cover.
We’re going to let you in on our secret to make your meetings more engaging.
Make sure to pick discussion topics that affect everyone in the meeting.
This way, you’ll have all your team members willing to participate in the discourse.
Related: Our remote guide to Virtual Meeting Etiquette !
4. Allocate time to discuss each topic
Meetings are expensive and can be difficult to organize. They’re only productive when they can utilize time effectively.
That’s why it’s important to allocate a certain amount of time to discuss each meeting topic. And you won’t end up straying and spending all your available time on a single topic.
Using a consent agenda is another time-saving trick for your meetings. A consent agenda groups recurring discussion topics into a single agenda item that you can easily cross-off.
These measures will make sure your meetings don’t become a time-suck and a calendar clogger. 👀
5. Include a list of necessary documents
Let’s say you hold a meeting with your project stakeholders .
One way to make the meeting more productive is to share all project documents through your team meeting agendas ahead of the meeting.
Think of this as one of the pre-reading activities your teacher would ask you to do back in school. 🤓 This practice sets the right context for every participant in the meeting and empowers them to contribute to the discourse.
Now that you know what to do, let’s look at some meeting agenda examples to help you see what these steps look like in action.
Bonus: Conference agenda templates !
How to Use AI for Meeting Agendas
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly streamline meeting management, turning every gathering into an efficient and productive experience. By integrating AI with project management tools like ClickUp Brain , teams can leverage automation to handle routine tasks and enhance meeting productivity. Here’s how AI can assist:
- AI-powered Meeting Agendas: ClickUp’s AI capabilities can draft personalized meeting agendas based on the participants’ roles, previous meeting notes, and ongoing project demands. By analyzing prior meeting notes and objectives, AI can help ensure that each meeting covers all critical points without missing a beat.
- Smart Summarization: Post-meeting, AI can condense hours of discussion notes ## Team Meeting Agenda Examples
Here’s a couple simple meeting agenda example for your reference:
Design Team Meeting
Date: 02/07/24
Time: 09:00 am – 09:45 am
Meeting Participants: @SpongeBob, @Patrick, @Mr.Krabs, @Squidward
Meeting’s Purpose:
- Develop a new website page for product testimonials
Agenda
a. Before the meeting:
- Every attendee must review the document on product testimonials
b. Discussion topics:
- Review product testimonials document (10 min)
- Discuss the content you want to include on the web page (10 min, @Name)
- Present sample designs for the web page (15 min, @Name)
- Share suggestions and vote on the website design .
16 Team Meeting Agenda Templates
Here are 16 meeting agenda templates that you can use to create your next agenda:
1. Weekly 1-on-1 meeting agenda template by ClickUp
Keep all of your agendas, action items, and feedback all in one organized place with this Weekly One-on-One Template by ClickUp
One-on-one meetings are your chance to connect and align with the people you manage in the most effective way possible. ClickUp’s 1:1 meeting template keeps all of your agendas—tailored for each individual—in one organized place. Download this template
2. All hands team meeting agenda template by ClickUp
ClickUp’s all-hands meeting template
helps to keep communication open across the company, and ensures everyone is aligned and up to speed with individual and group goals.
All hands meetings
give room to share information from updates to announcements about future agendas and encourage collaboration and alignment throughout the team.
Download this template
3. Scrum meeting agenda template by ClickUp
This scrum meeting agenda template by ClickUp will make daily meetings a breeze. Daily status meetings about tasks for projects help to ensure that a team is aware of the progress on their front. Download this template
4. Meeting Notes Agenda Template by ClickUp
ClickUp’s meeting note-style agenda template
is the perfect place to keep all event meeting notes, key takeaways and action items.
Download this template
5. Project post mortem Template by ClickUp
Projects don’t always go to plan. Use this project post-mortem template by ClickUp to set new goals and keep your team heading in the right direction. Download this template
6. Meeting minutes template by ClickUp
This collaborative meeting minutes template is a ClickUp Doc designed to provide the perfect outline for a successful meeting summation. ClickUp’s Meeting Minutes Template includes pre-built pages for organizing teams, individual meeting notes , and instructions for getting the most out of your meeting with this template!
Turn your meeting notes into a newsletter with newsletter templates ! Download this template
7. Sprint retrospective brainstorm meeting template by ClickUp
Save time and gain valuable insights with this simple Sprint Retrospective Template . Whether you are running an agile team meeting or a project management meeting, this template will help you build a crystal-clear picture of what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what to change moving forward. Download this template
8. Team meeting agenda template by Meeting Booster
The main objective of team meetings is to share important information with team members, align on goals, and call out any blockers. This team meeting agenda template helps the team stay focused on the goals of the meeting. Download this template
9. Board meeting agenda template by Template Lab
Board meetings tend to run over time. Use a schedule template for your next board meeting using this board meeting agenda to stay on track and finish your meeting on time. Download this template
10. Project kickoff meeting agenda template by Docket
It’s important to set the tone for a new project from the start. Use this project kickoff meeting agenda template to facilitate a successful project launch! Download this template
11. Meeting dashboard template by ClickUp
Use this ClickUp meeting dashboard template as an agenda for your next meeting. This template makes it easy to see the status of different tasks during a meeting. Download this template
12. Brainstorm meeting agenda template by Owl Labs
This creative brainstorming meeting agenda is a great way to keep your brainstorming meetings on track from week to week. This template makes it easy to run your meeting and stay focused on brainstorming. Download this template
13. Board of directors meeting minutes template by ClickUp
Create structure with this ClickUp Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Template . Record and tag your attendees, organize agenda action items, and take detailed notes for each agenda. Download this template
14. HR meeting agenda template by Where
HR departments
have a lot to keep track of. This
HR meeting agenda template
will give your HR team a way to come together for a productive meeting that isn’t complicated or stressful.
Download this template
15. Marketing meeting agenda template by Hugo
Use this marketing meeting agenda to bring your marketing department together to celebrate wins, align on goals, and identify project blockers. Download this template
16. Project management meeting agenda template by Hypercontext
This project management meeting agenda template will help you identify objectives, risks, and deadlines for your next team project. Download this template
Who Benefits from Using a Meeting Agenda?
When it comes to planning a meeting, creating a thorough and well-organized agenda is crucial for ensuring that the meeting runs smoothly and achieves its objectives. Here are some of the key beneficiaries of using a meeting agenda:
- Project Managers: Project managers often have to lead team meetings and having a well-planned agenda helps them to stay on track, cover all necessary topics, and keep the meeting focused.
- Leadership Teams: Meeting agendas are also beneficial for leadership teams, such as executive boards or management teams. They can help to ensure that important topics are discussed, decisions are made efficiently, and everyone is on the same page with regards to company goals and strategies.
Cross-off Stress from Your Work Life with Team Meeting Agendas
An effective meeting agenda will make team collaboration seem like a cakewalk.
And when collaboration becomes easy, your team can focus on amping up their productivity and getting their creative juices flowing.
With the help of a project management tool like ClickUp, writing effective meeting agendas and managing meetings are easier than ever!
ClickUp lets you document every meeting, manage agendas, take down effective meeting minutes , assign comments to your team, and so much more.
Ready to watch your team ace teamwork and hit all their objectives? Get ClickUp for free today and say goodbye to meeting disasters. 👋