Download a Meeting Agenda Template

What is a business meeting agenda?

The definition of an agenda is an ordered list of topics to be discussed at a formal meeting. A meeting agenda is essential to ensure that the meeting stays on topic and is productive.

Thus, the meaning of a business meeting agenda is a list of meeting activities/topics for discussion in order to achieve the meeting goal. It is sent to the participants of the meeting along with the notice of the meeting (at least 24 hours before the meeting) so that they can familiarise themselves with the topic and prepare for the meeting.

A meeting agenda generally follows the following order of business:

1. Call to order – A formal or informal call to order allows for the facilitator to indicate the beginning of the meeting.
2. Meeting minutes – A review of the previous meeting’s minutes.
3. Financial reports – Some meetings may include the divulging of financial details; such as earnings and losses.
4. Old business – Unfinished business and unresolved issues.
5. New business – The biggest part of the meeting is usually the discussion of new business topics.

How to write an agenda

An agenda is the plan for the meeting. Before compiling the meeting agenda, decide on a clear reason/objective for the meeting. Once you know what the goal of the meeting is, you can decide who must attend the meeting and who must address the meeting to achieve the objective.

With the meeting objective in mind, you can begin to formulate the meeting topics/discussion points. The following is an example of how to write an agenda:

1. Give the agenda a title.
2. Include a header below the title with information about the date, time, location, attendees and special guests.
3. State the objective of the meeting in about two sentences.
4. Write the topics for discussion in sequential order. For each topic include the amount of time allocated and the name of the person presenting the topic.
5. Add additional instructions (such as the name of the person who will be taking the minutes; or preparation requirements for attendees).

Download Meeting Agenda Template

You can also download a meeting agenda template for Word from the internet. Click here to find a meeting agenda template DOC by Microsoft. There are also many other free agenda templates available online. For more meeting agenda examples, visit Smartsheet.