w/o an agenda – the joke’s on you.

In this post, I am going to talk about,
1. Meetings – an intro
2. A meeting I attended & what went wrong?
3. Agendas – Why we need them?
4. My closing dialogue

“Meetings have become an integral part of our work life. Meetings are important. I made it to one such meeting today just in time to get seated. Within a few minutes the room was packed. There were not enough seats for everyone that many of us had to stand. So, you see this must be an important meeting… or so I thought.

This was a status meet between the development team and the stakeholders wherein the team would showcase some key achievements on the project. At least that’s what I thought when I accepted the invite; when I rushed to make it in time; till it began. I was wrong because most of what transpired for the next hour and more was everything but that. It turned out to be a meeting where everyone cracked jokes and laughed, collectively at first and later in smaller groups. I must say I was fortunate enough to be seated next to a group who were really witty. It was all fun and in the end I did not learn anything new about the project that I did not already know. This is what happens to meetings that don’t have AGENDAS; when the meeting organizer does not take the time to think through, list out and communicate his/her objectives.

Preparing and communicating an agenda is important because this SIMPLE act shows that your meeting has an objective. It shows that you value and respect everyone’s time and would allow them to come prepared. All you’ve got to do is list down the topics you want to talk about in the meeting. Remember, these are just your touch points to stay focused on the objectives. Keep it simple. Leave the finer details for the meeting. Equally important is to honor your agenda. It is quite natural for a meeting to get side-tracked, especially a meeting with too many people in it. Everyone is trying to throw in their 2 cents and it can get ugly pretty quick. Even if it does, it is the organizer’s responsibility to bring the meeting back on track. A good practice would be to start the meeting by reading out what’s on the agenda and request everyone to reserve their questions/concerns for the Q&A session towards the end of the meeting. This would ensure an uninterrupted focused meeting.

Agendas can also help you stay focused in your online meetings, group discussions, presentations, and so on. Cultivate this habit. Value your time and respect everyone else’s. Don’t let your meeting be one BIG joke.”