Asking your attendees about what they’d like to discuss is a smart move not only because it makes it easier to write an agenda, but also because it engages them in the meeting process before it’s even begun. People are more likely to attend and pay attention during meetings if they know that issues important to them will be addressed. Knowing the topic of the meeting allows you to be more confident when speaking.
One thing that your agenda should definitely contain is an approximate time limit for each topic of discussion. Having a rough schedule outlined beforehand makes it much easier to keep your meeting on-track. Though some items on your agenda may run long (and others may run short), a schedule makes it much easier to keep track of these items and adjust accordingly.
The minutes from previous meetings can be an important resource to you as chair. These summarize the discussions and decisions that occurred during past meetings, making it relatively quick and easy to get up-to-speed. You may even want to distribute important meeting minutes to your attendees with your agenda.
If you’re using an electronic presentation (like PowerPoint, etc. ), take a moment to familiarize yourself with the remote control or clicker you’ll be using to cycle through your slides. You don’t want to waste time fumbling with your controls when you could be discussing important issues.
Note that some businesses and organizations have strict, regimented procedures for opening and conducting a meeting. For instance, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) uses a system called Robert’s Rules of Order which includes calling the meeting to order by banging a gavel and very specific rules for introducing and passing motions.
Rather than summarizing previous meetings yourself, you may want to have an official scribe or record-keeper read the minutes from previous meetings to give the summary a sense of formality. You may also consider reading any important correspondences or communications that have occurred since the previous meeting. Note that if you provide copies of the minutes/correspondence to attendees, reading aloud isn’t generally required.
Depending on the culture and rules where you work, your business or organization may have specific procedures for reaching a decision — for instance, the meeting attendees may simply need to reach a majority consensus, or a select group of high-ranking individuals may be tasked with all decision-making. Note that some things are just too big to complete between meetings. You don’t necessarily need to dwell on the progress of long-term projects that aren’t finished yet. You should, however, bring up decisions or projects where present action is required.
This step is crucial — it’s your last chance to make sure that everyone leaves the meeting knowing exactly where your projects stand and what is expected of them.
Note that you don’t necessarily have to plan another meeting if you address all past and present business at your current one. However, if there’s enough unfinished business to warrant future discussion or you’re waiting to see how certain projects develop, it’s probably a good idea.
As the meeting progresses, keep an eye on your agenda. If you’re running behind, you may need to skip certain topics of discussion or table them for later in the interests of time. Don’t be afraid to do this if the topics that are being discussed are very important ones.
Make sure important decisions are recorded (if you have official record-keepers or minute-takers, assign them this task). If you’re going to go the trouble of asking the hard questions, you’ll want to make sure that the answers you get are well-documented.
