Leadership - Agenda
Agenda
The process
The first meeting should be used to finalise some aspects of what is expected.
- How frequent are the meetings?
- How long will they be?
- How will you handle preparation before hand?
The agenda should clearly identify for each item on the agenda the activities that must be complete before attending the meeting.
- Identify the meeting purpose.
- Make sure everyone is aware of the output and its format.
- Identify the expectations with regard to actions from the meeting.
If these simple actions are carried out then the quality of the meeting and its output will improve considerably and save precious time increasing team morale.
General
Try to arrange meetings when there is something to discuss. Don’t hold meetings for the sake of it.
Keep the numbers at meetings to a low level, only invite key personnel.
For regular meetings there should be an agreed list of attendees.
Note:
The person actually running the meeting will be the Chairperson whose role is to encourage openness and participation in the meeting so that there is a full discussion of the issues raised. The Chairperson is trying to resolve an issue by consensus.
An individual may note that he does not accept a certain decision but should abide by it.
If the meeting is called by a member of the senior management team then that individual may well have the right to veto any decisions or decide on the final solution based upon the discussions.
The Chairperson should also make sure that the discussions are to the point and do not meander off track.
He should clarify any actions points together with the person responsible for its execution.
Minutes of a meeting should be circulated as soon as possible after the meeting. It is a good idea to circulate a draft copy for individuals to clarify any points first. However, minutes are no substitute for taking ones own notes at the meeting and acting upon them.
This area is also discussed as part of ‘The Complete Project management package’.
See the word file ‘agenda’ for a template plus notes.
Header
A header can be added to a template by clicking on ‘view / header and footer’ and editing as required and closing.
See the Word file ‘agenda’.
This will appear on every page.
The aim of an agenda of this type is to focus attention on particular topics, clarify what the meeting is for and to give everyone the opportunity to prepare well for it.
Time
Adding timings gives everyone a clear indication of the length of the discussion on an item.
It allows the chairperson to draw attention to it and to reign in any discussions that may be wandering off the point.
Allow time for an introduction and time at the end to round up and summarise any action points.
Topic
List areas to cover. The chairperson should discuss these, the outcomes and timings with the discussion leader.
Purpose
Clarify, in league with the leader, what is expected from the discussion. This helps focus attention on the item and stops discussion progressing aimlessly.
Leader
The person that has responsibility for raising the issue and clarifying the outcome.
Preparation
Identify anything that the meeting members are required to do ahead of the meeting.
This encourages each member to be ready for the meeting by crystallising their thoughts on each item.
This will save considerable time and improve the chances of reaching the expectations for each item.
Stick to the agenda
Try to keep on track as much as possible.