We've all experienced meetings that lacked a clear agenda or perhaps no agenda at all, and we've seen how these unstructured discussions can lead to decreased productivity and frustration. We’d like to share why an intentional agenda and notes document matter, provide ten considerations for designing effective agendas, and discuss two significant shifts that can transform your culture of collaboration through your meeting agendas.
The Importance of an Intentional Agenda and Notes Document
An intentional agenda and notes document serve as the backbone of productive team meetings. By combining them into one comprehensive tool, you can achieve better alignment, focus, and predictability during your meetings. Clarity and predictability are two things that are critical to psychological safety for teams. Without psychological safety, it is hard to really build strength across our collaborative teams and having an intentional agenda established whenever we meet is one of the very best ways we can reinforce clarity and predictability for our teams.
Aligning with the layering of team meetings that we feel is essential for each and every school, we have developed three different agenda templates to be utilized and potentially adapted for your teams:
Additional samples and resources can be found in the Resources section of our website.
Let’s examine some considerations that should be front of mind when designing an agenda format for teams.
Ten Considerations for Designing Effective Agendas
1. Clarity of Purpose - Start your agenda with a clear statement of why the meeting is taking place. This goes beyond summarizing the agenda items; it defines the overall purpose of the meeting and creates shared understanding for the team.
2. Key Documents and Resources - Identify any critical documents or resources that will be essential for the discussion. This ensures everyone is on the same page and prepared. These key documents and resources can be posted as links at the top of the agenda for easy access.
3. Establish Norms - Use your agenda to establish and highlight team norms. Norms are crucial for creating a culture of collaboration, and by including them in your agenda, you reinforce their importance. This also provides a tool for quick reference and review at the start of your meeting as a reminder of what everyone needs to be successful in collaboration.
4. Use Tables and Cells - Organize your agenda using tables and cells to provide structure. This helps you list norms, practice specific norms for each meeting, and maintain consistency. It also provides clear movement from one agenda item to the next as well as providing space for notes to be included right in the agenda.
5. Role Identification - Clearly specify who is responsible for facilitating, tracking time, recording, and other roles within the meeting that may be useful for moving the conversation and agenda along.
6. Clear Time Allocations - Allocate time for each agenda item to keep the meeting on track and ensure it finishes on time. Starting and ending on time can demonstrate respect for the team by honoring the time they have dedicated to this conversation.
7. Celebrations - Include a section for celebrating achievements and reflect on why those successes occurred. This helps identify successful strategies that can be applied in other situations.
8. Elements of Action - Ensure that every discussion results in specific actions. Clearly define what actions will be taken, who is responsible, and the timeline for completion.
9. Next Meeting Date - Clearly indicate when the next meeting will take place to maintain continuity and a sense of commitment to the ongoing work.
10. Meeting Closure - Set aside time at the end of the meeting to summarize key takeaways and ensure everyone understands their action items. It may also provide an opportunity to have each team member articulate next steps, take aways or even final thoughts.
Kurtis and Lorna Hewson dive into why an intentionally designed agenda and notes document for your team meetings is critical.
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Two Significant Shifts to Consider for Agendas
1. Aligning Agenda Topics with the Strategic Plan - One significant shift that can dramatically impact your culture of collaboration is aligning your agenda topics with your organization's strategic plan. This direct linkage ensures that every meeting contributes to the organization's strategic goals. It also helps you identify if a conversation is not relative to your strategic plan, prompting a critical evaluation of its importance.
2. Using Collaborative Tools to Maintain Engagement - Another crucial shift is the use of collaborative tools, especially in in-person meetings. Projecting the agenda and notes document on a screen or whiteboard encourages everyone to stay engaged and minimizes distractions. This practice also reinforces the importance of clearly defined roles and the value of shared responsibilities within the team.
In this FREE on-demand webinar, Kurtis Hewson will share 10 considerations essential when engaging in collaboration, with multiple samples and resources shared.
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An intentional agenda and notes document are essential for building a culture of collaboration within your organization. By following these ten considerations and implementing the two key shifts, you can improve the effectiveness of your meetings and ensure that they align with your strategic goals. Ultimately, this approach will enhance psychological safety, improve engagement, and drive your organization's success.
If you have resources developed related to this concept, we would love to see them! Email or if you have something you wish to share.
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