Once you decide to have a meeting, you'll need to set an agenda, allocate time, and create calendar invites.
- Read the following definition of an agenda with your teacher. What is the main point?
A meeting agenda helps you and your colleagues prepare for a meeting and guide yourselves through the items you need to discuss. Time spent in planning an agenda will likely save time for all meeting participants by providing a clear set of topics, objectives, and time frames.
- Do you set an agenda for meetings? Why or why not?
Look at the following Eisenhower Matrix and the tasks below. Which category would you place each task?
- Organize a team meeting.
- Check your email for meeting invites.
- Have a feedback session with an underperforming team member.
- Show up to a professional development meeting.
- Mentor a junior staffer.
- Lead a daily stand-up meeting.
A. The following are the words we often use in meetings. Match the following words to the phrases:
| Terms | Definitions |
| Agenda | a. The schedule for discussing and completing tasks |
| Objectives | b. People who are involved or affected by the meeting |
| Stakeholders | c. A list of topics to be discussed in a meeting |
| Action Items | d. Tasks that need to be completed |
| Deliverables | e. Expected results from the consultant’s work |
| Timeline | f. The goals of the meeting |
| Follow-up | g. Future actions after the meeting |
B. Use the phrases to complete the sentences in a meeting context:
| Phrase | Purpose |
| Before we meet with the client, I'd like to set an agenda to make sure we’re all aligned. | a. Agreeing on what will be done after the meeting |
| Let's outline the key points we need to cover so we stay on track during the call. | b. Starting with quick/easy tasks to build momentum |
| We should focus on discussing the updated project timeline to make sure everyone is on the same page. | c. Making a plan for the meeting |
| One important topic is the client's feedback from the last review session. | d. Emphasizing a specific subject |
| We need to allocate time for Q&A at the end of the meeting. | e. Managing time and planning discussion |
| Let's deal with the low-hanging fruit first, like updating the project plan and sending out the new deck. | f. Listing discussion topics |
|
To keep morale up, let’s focus on the small wins, like getting the new client portal up and running. |
g. Identifying easy wins |
| Let's confirm action items at the end of the meeting. | h. Focusing on the main discussion topic |
Situation Summary:
- Client: The Dairy Farmers of Canada
- Consulting Firm Teams Involved: Marketing and Operations
Background:
- The Dairy Farmers of Canada have hired the firm to explore new avenues of revenue.
- Marketing Team's Proposal:
- Expand product lines
- Partner with companies in cheese, alcohol, yogurt, whey, protein industries
- Operations Team's Concerns:
- Quality control challenges
- Complex distribution
- Government regulations
- New/longer supply chains
Client's Goals:
- Greater recognition through label placement on multiple products
- Increased market visibility
Current Challenge:
- Marketing and Operations teams disagree on:
- The scale of product expansion
- The timing of expansion
The client expects a response within one week. Decide whether the meeting is a brainstorming, informing, problem-solving, reviewing, team-building or decision-making meeting.
Using the phrases you learned in the Language section, write a meeting invite with your teacher.
Now you have a deeper understanding of the importance of a good agenda and clear objectives. What is something new you learned from this lesson?
For example, the art of a good agenda is ensuring you cover what you said you would cover, but also have some flexibility for addressing any new business or issues that crop up.