Do you create and share an agenda before each meeting?

Scheduling meetings can often feel like a necessary chore, especially when they lack a clear purpose. Calls or video meetings, without any clear agenda or purpose, are where your joy and energy go to die.

To make your meetings effective, create an agenda beforehand so attendees can prepare, stay on track, and know whether each item is for information, discussion, or decision.

What makes a good agenda?

• Create it before sending the meeting appointment
• Make it focused. A good agenda should make it clear why the meeting exists and what needs to be covered
• Include the agenda in the calendar appointment so every attendee has a copy before the meeting
• Include any documents or links attendees need to review in advance. For example, if feedback is needed on a large document, give people the link to the document with a warning that their feedback on the document will be taken ahead of time
• Mark agenda items as "For information", "For discussion", or “For decision” where helpful. This helps everyone stick to the meeting's goal
• Avoid adding unnecessary items

✅ Figure: Good example - A clear agenda helps everyone arrive prepared, stay focused, and leave with agreed next steps

Use the agenda during the meeting

Once the agenda is set and everyone knows what to expect, use it during the meeting to keep the discussion on track. If the conversation starts to drift, bring it back to the agreed topics so the meeting stays focused, respects everyone’s time, and ends with clear outcomes.