Having a General Meeting agenda is an essential first step to running a successful meeting. There are several benefits in having an agenda, and several of these are listed here.
First and foremost is the considerable advantage that everyone in your organisation understands the intended flow of the meeting. When distributed before a meeting, they also let people know about the business items to be discussed. An agenda allows them to prepare for the meeting if needed. Whoever is preparing the agenda, usually the Secretary, should call for items to be placed on the agenda. Again, this notifies people of what is to be discussed and allows them to prepare.
The General Meeting Agenda that we provide here on the site follows the standard procedure. There is no reason you can’t add or subtract from the template to suit yourself or your organisation. One of the items you may notice on the agenda provided is Reflection. Reflection provides an opportunity to talk about the things your organisation or an individual has done well or is doing well. It is essential to celebrate the good things in your organisation. Too often, we only focus on criticism. Over time this can get people down.
Mind you, part of celebrating the wins is looking at what you can do better. If you can do better, treat them as opportunities and go through our Problem Solving or Opportunity Solving steps.
The Agenda template also includes steps for creating an Action Sheet when recording the minutes from the meeting. Yes, you can use the agenda as the basis for your minutes and fill them in as your meeting proceeds. The Action Sheet is an essential part of the process. It records the actions from the meeting and who is responsible for performing them. The Action Sheet provides organisation and accountability.
Summary
A General Meeting agenda is essential if you want a well-run meeting. Not only does it provide a plan, but it also assists the chair in maintaining the correct flow of the meeting. You can also use the agenda to fill in the minutes as you go, so it can be really quick to distribute them after the meeting. If you are a secretary, the membership will love you for being so efficient. If you have any questions about agendas or meetings, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email us.