Running Effective Meetings > Agendas and Minutes

Purpose: Provide a sample format for meeting agendas and minutes.

When to Use: Every meeting

Tool: Sample Agenda

It is crucial for every team meeting to have an agenda which has been prepared ahead of time and distributed to each team member. The agenda should clearly indicate meeting logistics (date, time, place) as well as the meeting's purpose and topics. You may find it useful to indicate for each topic the amount of time that will be spent, what person(s) are responsible for that portion of the meeting, and what outcomes are expected.

Sample Meeting Agenda Format

Date:
Time:
Place:

Meeting Purpose:

Time	Topic	Person(s) Responsible	Outcome
	Review ground rules, purpose, agenda		All team members agree on rules, purpose, agenda
	Assign roles (recorder, timekeeper, observer)
	Review action items for next meeting
	Create agenda for next meeting
	Observer comments

Tool: Sample Meeting Minutes Format

Rule of thumb for meeting minutes: keep them brief, clear, and action oriented.

Topic/Issue	Decision/Action	Responsibility	Time

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Running Effective Meetings Home

Ground Rules
Meeting Roles
Meeting Assessment