Meeting agenda template
A meeting agenda lists what a meeting will cover, in order, with a time and a lead for each item. This free Word template adds what most agendas leave out: whether each item needs a decision, a discussion or is just for information, and which papers to read before arriving.
Running a company of 30 to 200 people? Documents like this are now worth money.
The agenda is where a meeting is won or lost. Sent a couple of days ahead with the right papers, it lets people arrive with a view instead of forming one in the room.
What's in the template
Meeting agenda
| Meeting | |
|---|---|
| Purpose | One sentence: what this meeting must achieve |
| Date | |
| Start and finish | e.g. 09:30 to 10:45 |
| Location or call link | |
| Chair | |
| Minute taker | |
| Invited | |
| Papers sent on |
Agenda
| # | Time | Item (phrased as a question where possible) | For: decide, discuss or inform | Lead | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apologies and actions from last time | Inform | Chair | ||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | Any other business (notified to the chair in advance) | Chair | |||
| 7 | Recap: decisions, actions, owners and dates | Minute taker |
Decisions needed at this meeting
| Decision | Options | Recommendation | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
Papers to read beforehand
| Paper | Author | Length | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| B |
Before you arrive
- Read the papers for the decision items
- Update the status of your open actions
- Send questions on a paper to its author the day before
- Tell the chair about any other business
How to write a meeting agenda
- Write the purpose in one sentence at the top: "Agree the hiring plan for January to March and decide whether to bid for the school extension." Every item should serve it. If you can't write the sentence, question whether the meeting is needed.
- Collect items, then cut. Ask attendees for items by a set time. For each one, ask what it needs from this group; anything that's information only can go in a paper or an email.
- Phrase items as questions. "Which two suppliers go on the shortlist?" tells people what to prepare; "Suppliers" doesn't.
- Label each item decide, discuss or inform, and put the decisions first, while people are fresh and before overruns eat the time.
- Give every item a slot and write in the clock time, so the chair can see at 10:20 that item 3 should have finished. Leave five minutes spare in every hour.
- Send it with the papers two or three working days before, saying which pages matter. A paper asking for a decision should end with a recommendation.
- Save the last five minutes for a recap of decisions, actions and owners. That recap becomes the core of the minutes.
Decide, discuss or inform
| Label | What the group does | What the paper needs | What comes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decide | Chooses between options | The options, their costs and a recommendation | A decision with an owner, recorded in a decision log |
| Discuss | Shapes something that isn't ready to decide | The question to answer and any constraints | A direction, or a decision item for next time |
| Inform | Hears an update and asks questions | A short note, ideally read beforehand | Nothing, unless a question raises a new item |
If an agenda is mostly inform items, the meeting could probably be an email.
Example: a fictional practice's monthly management meeting
The agenda for a monthly management meeting at a fictional 50-person architecture practice. Purpose: agree the hiring plan for January to March and decide whether to bid for a secondary school extension.
| Time | Item | For | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | Apologies and last month's actions | Inform | Managing partner |
| 09:35 | Bid or no bid: secondary school extension (paper A, 4 pages) | Decide | Bids director |
| 09:55 | Hiring plan, January to March (paper B) | Decide | Studio manager |
| 10:15 | Fees: which projects are we under-charging on? (paper C) | Discuss | Finance manager |
| 10:30 | Office move: update in paper D, questions only | Inform | Office manager |
| 10:35 | Other business, notified to the chair by Monday | Chair | |
| 10:40 | Recap: decisions, actions, owners | Minute taker | |
| 10:45 | Close |
The two decisions come first and get twenty minutes each. The office move is covered by a paper, so it needs only five.
Board and shareholder meetings (UK)
- Board meetings: if your company uses the model articles for private companies, any director can call a board meeting. The notice must give the date, time and place and, if directors won't all be in one place, how they'll communicate. It doesn't have to be in writing (article 9).
- General meetings of shareholders: a private company must give at least 14 days' notice, unless enough shareholders agree to shorter notice (Companies Act 2006, section 307). The notice must state the time, date and place and, subject to your articles, the general nature of the business (section 311). An agenda sent with the notice does that job.
Your own articles may set different rules, and US companies follow state law and their bylaws. Treat this as a pointer, not legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Topics instead of questions, so nobody knows what to prepare.
- No timings, and the first item takes the whole hour.
- Papers sent the night before, or forty pages with no summary.
- Big decisions slipped in under other business without a paper. Ask for other business in advance and hold anything that needs a decision until next time.
- A standing agenda nobody questions, still carrying items that stopped mattering months ago.
- Everyone invited to everything. People needed for one item can join for that item only.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you send a meeting agenda?
Two or three working days for most meetings, and about a week for a board, so there's time to read the papers. Send it later than that and people read it in the room.
What should come first on an agenda?
Apologies and a quick check of last time's actions, then the items that need a decision. Leaving decisions to the end means they get rushed or put off.
What does AOB mean on an agenda?
Any other business: a slot for items not on the agenda. Keep it short and ask for items in advance. It's for quick updates, not for decisions nobody has had time to think about.