by Jorma Bork (pixelio.de)
- Keep meetings short. Normally plan for 45 minutes to gain best meeting performance. Of course, there are exceptions, but normally you’ll want to keep it short. Therefore, the agenda needs to be short, too. For each topic use precise and short descriptions. Put all additional info within comments!
- Try to estimate the time each topic will take and add this information to the agenda items. For example:
“Wrap up about project status at customer xyz (7 minutes)” - Do not use general descriptions. Be as precise as possible about the intended discussion. Sometimes it’s a good idea to use questions as topics.
- Put the overall target of the meeting into your invitation text for the meeting. Tell your attendees why they need to meet and what the intended outcomes or results are. “No-one leaves before xyz is settled”
- If you want your attendees to prepare some info on certain topics, make sure to assign them to the attendees and plan for enough time for the preparation! You need to send out your agenda early enough so that attendees can come up well prepared.