Encyclopedia of Leadership

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“The usual mistake is to make the agenda unnecessarily brief and vague. For example, the phrase ‘development

budget’ doesn’t communicate much, whereas the longer explanation ‘to discuss the proposal for reduction of the

[next year’s] development budget now that the introduction of our new product has been postponed,’ guides

members to form views or even look up facts and figures in advance.”

—Antony Jay, “HOW TO RUN A MEETING”

Here is a suggested format for writing meeting agendas. Adapt this to suit your specific meet-

ing requirements, then practice the discipline needed to ensure that your meeting agendas are

planned and organized well, and directed toward clearly defined, agreed-upon, and meaning-

ful business results.

WEB WORKSHEET

MEETING AGENDA FORMAT

354 SECTION 11 TOOLS FORLEADINGMEETINGS

❑ Consider placing agenda items of high interest to the group near the end of the agenda. Then the group may be

keen to work its way through the agenda quickly. At any rate, they’ll get some useful work completed while energy

levels are high. When they finally do reach these high-interest agenda items, energy levels will be reinvigorated.

❑ The chairperson is responsible for distributing the agenda well in advance of the meeting, in order to allow meeting

participants time to prepare.

❑ Title the predistributed the agenda the Proposed Agenda, then finalize the agenda with the group at the beginning

of the meeting.

Workgroup/team Meeting purpose

Meeting date _____________________

Start/finish times

_____________________

_____________________

Location _____________________

Chairperson _____________________

Recorder _____________________

Facilitator _____________________

Other roles and person’s name:

_____________________

_____________________

People required