Successful Meetings Begin with an Agenda

Quick Tips

Creating and establishing an agenda is the best step you can take to ensure a successful meeting. If you fail to plan, you should plan to fail Don’t!

What to Include

Create a committee roster: names, addresses, phone, fax, e-mail, and member ID number.
Review policies and guidelines that pertain to your activities.
Review the annual plan and budget.
Confirm your committee’s structure, hierarchy, and succession plan.
Create task-oriented subcommittees to carry out the committee’s goals.
Determine the best means of communication: meetings, phone, email, etc.
Create a schedule for the year — specific dates for key activities and meetings.
Commit to it!

Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail

Distribute the agenda in advance
.Include your liaison on correspondences. Invite them to meetings.
Stick to the agenda.
Focus on action items.
Ensure minutes/notes are taken and distributed promptly; ensure minutes/notes reflect action items and responsibilities.
Construct your next meeting agenda around the action items.