Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have a Complete Agenda

Most agendas for a meeting look like this.

* Budget

* Payroll

* Staff

* Sales

* Vutszxtn

Some people would tell me, "That's a perfectly good agenda. I know what all of those things mean, except, uh, 'vutszxtn'." The point is, vutszxtn means as much to you as the other terms mean to the other participants. For example, does budget mean increase the budget? Plan a budget? Report on the budget? Reduce the budget? Complain about the budget? Make fun of the budget? Or what?

An agenda like the one above could launch a meeting that considers all of the possibilities mentioned above. Instead, you may have wanted to reallocate funds from one department to another.

A proper agenda specifies everything that the participants need to know to make the meeting effective. It should contain:

Goal: A clear description of the results expected by the end of the meeting, such as a decision, agreement, or solution.

Outcome: The reason (or benefit) for achieving the goal.

Activities: A detailed list of the activities that will be used in the meeting. This should be so complete that someone else could use it to lead your meeting.

Logistics: Everything that the participants need to know to contribute to an effective meeting. This can include directions to the meeting room, instructions on how to prepare, and a list of things to bring.

A complete agenda will help you hold effective meetings.

IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye works with leaders who want to hold effective meeting. His innovative workshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will support. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com

Why Would Anyone Do That in My Meeting?

Imagine that you open a meeting by saying, "We need... Read More

Gift Giving for Business a Major Headache

Corporate gifting is a big headache for most business owners;... Read More

Phone Sex is Bad for Business

On August 3rd/2005, Reuters reported that a German man had... Read More

Create Your Dashboard for Success

Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital... Read More

Saying One Thing, Doing Another...

This week I was asked to speak at an internal... Read More

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More

Employee Orientation: Get New Hires Off To a Great Start

The good news is that a new hire orientation program... Read More

Overcoming Resistance

Virtually any type of organizational change involves role transitions of... Read More

Three Foundation Stones for Building Organizational Integrity

When the stock market crashed in 1929, there were a... Read More

Creativity Management and Time Pressure

There is a pervasive belief that time pressure stimulates creativity.... Read More

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive

In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out... Read More

Quality Improvement is Free

The point of a quality improvement program should not only... Read More

This Old Business

Not long ago I was asked to come out and... Read More

Score the Rainbows Pot of Gold: Become the Boss That No One Wants to Leave

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the... Read More

Project Management 101

Project management is a very important business concept because it... Read More

Success at Work : People Skills : Dealing with New Ideas

Re-organizing, re-engineering, re-training, down-sizing, outsourcing, changing-changing-changing. Organizations today think they... Read More

The Leadership Alignment Model

Some time ago we had the privilege of working with... Read More

Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of Inclusion

In the fitness room the other day, I caught a... Read More

What To Do When Your IT Project Is Late, Over Budget, and Looks Like It?s Never Going To Work

Here's a scary statistic. According to four prominent research firms,... Read More

How To Conduct Effective Meetings

Before you call your next meeting, the FIRST step is... Read More

7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation

The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's... Read More

Management Coaching to Improve Relationships with Work Associates

As a recent employee to your job, you are becoming... Read More

Make the Most of Your Time - Focus on Strengths

Once working and focused in tune with what they do... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance

This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates... Read More