Some examples of desired outcomes include "an agreement about X," "a decision about X," or "a list of X. We have found that items bearing "low priority" never get discussed so all our items end up medium or high. We have no objective criteria for these ratings. When planning for the meeting, if the total time needed for high priority items exceeds the meeting length, the group should negotiate which items will be handled within the meeting time, or consider lengthening the meeting.
Explain that any items withdrawn will get first priority at the next meeting, or find a means to address those items outside of the meeting. Projecting the time you need is easier if you've planned the "how" and "desired outcome" parts of the item. Without that planning, it's easy to underestimate how much time is needed to achieve a desired outcome.
Your colleagues will likely be much more satisfied by participating in a lengthy, meaningful discussion than by taking part in a truncated conversation that doesn't allow for meaningful participation. This is the person who is responsible for seeing the item through to completion. In some cases that person may introduce the item while a colleague guides the discussion, so the person who is responsible for the topic can listen more fully to the discussion. Our sample agenda lists several ways to handle a discussion: go-around : simply taking turns to speak; generally going in a circle around the room or table feedback : asking the group to respond to specific questions about an idea share info and needs : giving information about the topic.
In the example, Lisa is going to share information; she will describe a project, her needs for handling it, and ask for volunteers spend-a-dollar and discussion: this method asks group members to assign any part of an imaginary " cents" amongst a number of ideas.
Blank agenda template. Retirement Sense: Making Informed Decisions. See Webinars. Return-to-campus checklist. The most successful leaders not only consider what should be covered in a meeting, but also how to cover each item.
For instance, an agenda topic can be actively facilitated by you, or you can give that responsibility to someone else. It can be set on a timer or not, or addressed in a nonconventional manner such as having people brainstorm in silence , using voting apps, working in pairs, etc.
An agenda topic can be addressed in two deliberate phases separated by a break: deliberation and decision. Or it could even involve certain attendees role-playing key stakeholders e. Clearly, there are numerous approaches to consider. Let me share an example of this in practice for one meeting leader.
This leader knows her team is composed of some very strong extroverted personalities and some quiet introverts. Plus, the introverts are the more junior folks on the team. Given this, the leader turned to a host of silence-based techniques. At the start of the meeting, one of the already-distributed agenda questions was presented to the attendees.
Attendees provided responses to the question, in silence, using a meeting app. Next the responses were clustered together based on similarity and each cluster was named. This then led to the final silence phase, attendees voted on the top clusters to discuss. At this point, the silence phase ended. The meeting leader then facilitated an active discussion to derive the best possible answer. Ultimately, a questions-based approach to agendas can bring focus, engagement, and better performance to your meetings.
If you have never tried this approach, give it a go. This work will not only help make meetings better, but will also build a broader team culture of learning, taking reasonable risks, and non-complacency.
Give back the gift of time to would-be attendees. They will thank you. You have 1 free article s left this month. Instead, stick to a shortlist of relevant topics and dive deep. Pick topics that affect your business now or in the near future. Instead, get right to the point and pick up where you left off. Have a time limit on discussions. This encourages participants to be concise and get right to the point. Make sure you have a list of everyone who needs to attend the meeting.
Before the meeting begins, emphasize the agenda and the focus of the meeting. Allow a few moments of lighthearted discussion before moving to a serious tone. You want all participants to feel comfortable, engaged, and ready to participate in the discussions.
It never hurts to have something to offer such as coffee and breakfast items, snacks, or a light lunch. Keep the topics relevant to the agenda and ask for questions and observations on those issues only.
Let participants know they can address other concerns at another time. This is much easier to accomplish when everyone has the business agenda in front of them. Your meetings will be much easier to manage when the participants know exactly what to expect. With an agenda, they know what they need to expect and which topics they will discuss.
This saves time and eliminates the embarrassment of participants being put on the spot without knowledge of the topics at hand. Be sure to send out an agenda and give participants ample time to prepare for the meeting. Expect everyone to be on the same page, prepared, and ready to participate. When your employees feel valued, they are more likely to speak up and share their ideas. Make sure they know you want to hear from them and that you value their opinions and ideas. A clear agenda allows members time to think about their ideas and feelings about the topics you will discuss.
Include time for everyone to add their input to the discussion. When you empower employees, it inspires loyalty. Employees who feel valued are more likely to be productive and engaged in their work. Meetings where one speaker drones on or multiple people argue back and forth are not productive. An agenda can be a time management tool to help your meeting run smoothly and keep everyone on track and moving forward.
You can add a time frame for each discussion item on the agenda. Sticking to a time frame helps employees stay focused on the issues and keeps the meeting from dragging on too long. Having an agenda helps everyone involved prepare for the topics of discussion.
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