| SolveYourProblem Article Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?
Organize
a Meeting By Planning an Agenda
Whether you are a stay-at-home-mother or a
corporate worker, you will likely have your share of meetings
this year. A mother may need to organize meetings for the local
church food drive or for the school PTA, while a corporate
worker may be planning meetings with important clients. The
point is that no matter who you are, you should always know
how to organize a great meeting. The first step, after
scheduling a time, date, and location, in organizing a meeting
is planning
the agenda. Agenda planning is a step that you simply cannot
skip when it comes to a successful meeting. If you are unsure
how to plan an agenda, use these steps to get you started.
Style
The general style for an agenda is an outline form. This will
allow you to document the main issues with just a few words.
For example, if you are planning to discuss the pizza fundraiser,
you would only need to add “Pizza Fundraiser” to the agenda.
There would be no need to go into any further detail about
the fundraiser. Those who attend the meeting will be able to
hear the details directly from you or the speaker and will
be able to take their own notes. Being concise will help you
create your agenda in very little time. This is the standard
format, so don’t be afraid you are being too vague.
Information
Choosing what information should go onto the agenda can be
tricky. If the meeting is a recurring event, then you probably
want to begin by adding a section devoted to recapping what
happened at the last meeting. For instance, if your meeting
occurs every month, write a “Last Month’s Recap” section and
spend just a few moments going over what was accomplished.
Then you can proceed to current sections. Add each main point
that you plan on discussing. If there are formal activities
that must be done, such as voting on issues, be sure to add
that as a bullet on your agenda. Adding the names and introductions
of guest speakers is great as well. This will allow everyone
to get the proper spelling of the guest’s name. When you are
adding information to the agenda, keep in mind your meeting’s
time frame. Do not add a bundle of information that you will
not likely get around to discussing. If you are heading the
meeting, do not be afraid to say “We must move on from this
issue right now”, if you are going over on one issue.
Closing
Adding a small closing to the agenda is the perfect way to
end your memo. You can add a little section with notes about
what will be discussed at the next meeting. Adding the date,
time, and location of upcoming events is also a great idea.
You can also add a little “thank you” section to those who
participated or headed certain tasks throughout the month.
If you are having a corporate meeting, you can also add goals
or deadlines that everyone should be aware of. It is up to
you on what to add to the closing section.
Contact Information
It is important for you to include any important contact information
the members of the meeting might need on the agenda. Many times
the agenda is something that members of the meeting will keep
and utilize in the future. Therefore, any important contact
information of clients, directors, and other members should
be included somewhere on the agenda. This is a great organizational
tip and will help avoid questions later regarding this information.
If
you are in charge of an upcoming meeting, you should not
avoid planning an agenda. An agenda will help you stay on track,
especially if you are nervous about the meeting. It will also
give the members of the meeting a chance to stay focused on
the information being presented. They will have an outline
to add notes to and something to refer back to after the meeting
is over. If you want to hold a professional meeting, you must
never do so without an agenda. So go ahead and create one.
It only takes a few moments and will help you greatly. Click here to discover my current SolveYourProblem recommendation and choice pick for the fastest, easiest and best time management solution you'll find anywhere. Get it and reward yourself by doing more in less time than you ever thought possible.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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