How to Write an Effective Agenda for Team Meetings (With Templates)

In the United States, there are around 55 million meetings held each week, according to Zippia. With a number as large as that, it’s almost guaranteed that everyone has attended a meeting where the topic goes off course and everyone loses focus. With a planned agenda for team meetings, you are able to keep the meeting running smoothly and stay on track. Your team meetings will have a specific topic that will be the main focus, allowing you to run productive and successful meetings. This guide will answer all of your questions about creating an agenda for team meetings. 

What is an agenda for team meetings? 

A team meeting agenda is a detailed list of topics and items that are going to be covered during the team meeting! It can help meeting hosts prioritize important topics as well as keep your event running smoothly and on time. Your guests will leave the meeting feeling informed and ready to be productive. Agendas for team meetings take time to plan, so keep this in mind when beginning the planning process.

Various types of agendas for team meetings

There are a few different types of meetings that require a team meeting agenda. These types of meetings may include: 

• Team Building
• Problem-Solving 
• Information Sharing
• Product Launch
• Formal/Informal Company Meetings

What can a great team meeting agenda achieve?

Your team meeting agenda holds all of the information for your meeting, including dates and times. When you create an agenda for team meetings and share it with your guests, everyone will know what is going to be covered at the meeting. According to data collected by Team Stage, nearly half of the participants in poorly organized meetings end up being more confused upon leaving. Guests will know the time of the meeting, and where the meeting is being held, and they can even add the meeting to their professional calendar. An effective team meeting agenda also gives guests a communication portal with the meeting hosts or facilitators. 

What should be included in a team meeting agenda? 

Date, time, and location

This may be one of the most important aspects of the agenda for team meetings. Your meeting may be in-person or virtually, so be sure to express that clearly to your guests! Adding the date and time, along with the location, allows your guests to check their calendars' to see if they can attend! 

Facilitators/Attendees

Letting your guests know who is facilitating the meeting provides them with a point of contact if they have any questions! Based on the type of event you are hosting, you may have a certain guest list. Add these facilitators and guests to your agenda so everyone knows who  is attending.

Objective and goals

The objective or goal of the meeting should be addressed right at the beginning of the meeting agenda to let your guests know what’ll happen during the meeting and what they can expect. You don’t want your guests coming into your meeting without knowing the objective of the meeting, as they might need to prepare for the meeting ahead of time.

Agenda items

Your agenda items should include what topics you plan on discussing and how you plan to achieve the goal you have set for the meeting. Each agenda item should have the speaker who is presenting each item, along with how long discussing each item will take!

Time for each topic

As discussed above, each agenda item should have a time that says how long each item will last. For example, if you have a topic on team building, the meeting agenda should have an allotted time next to the item! Having an allotted time for each item allows the meeting to run smoothly, but also keeps the speaker on track and will prevent  them going over their allotted time.

Team check-in

Before the event gets into full swing, have a team check-in with your guests! You can include a quick icebreaker, so everyone can get to know each other better. According to a 2000 study, playing name games can actually help people remember others’ names, ultimately improving the work experience. This helps create a casual atmosphere for everyone, as well as shows  compassion for the well-being of your guests.

13 tips for creating an effective agenda for team meetings 

These tips will help team meeting hosts create the most effective agenda for team meetings. From taking notes to communicating with the team, your guests will leave the meeting feeling like they attended a productive meeting.

1. Tailor your agenda to each meeting

Not all meetings are the same, and you need to create your meeting agenda around the type of meeting you want to host! For example, you wouldn’t have the same type of meeting agenda for a product launch like you would for a team building meeting. There are templates you can use to model your own team meeting agenda after, so you can create a perfect meeting for you and your guests.

2. Prioritize your agenda items

When it comes to creating your meeting agenda, you should prioritize the most important topic that you want to cover. By doing this, you can be sure that the most important topic is the first item you cover in your meeting. You will have everyone’s attention when you begin to discuss this topic.

3. Find a team meeting agenda template that works for your team 

Much like the meetings not being one size fits all, the agenda template isn’t going to be all the same either. Your agenda template should complement the meeting, which helps to make the meeting run smoothly. Meeting hosts can search for templates that will fit their meeting, or they can create their own template and add their meeting aspects to  the template they created!

4. Ask your entire team to contribute to the agenda

Creating a team meeting agenda may be a lot of work for just one person- if you have different presenters for each agenda item, allow them to help out with the creation of the agenda. Once everyone has written their part, they can collaborate with each other to create the finished product. Feel free to make any changes to the meeting agenda before you send it out to every guest.

5. Communicate the purpose of the meeting

The purpose of the meeting should be one of the first things discussed in the meeting agenda. It allows the guests to know why the meeting is important and why the guests have been invited. By communicating the purpose of the meeting to your guests, you can truly express the value your guests bring to the meeting, and they can feel appreciated by the hosts.

6. Be clear with your agenda items

Meeting hosts should be as clear as they can be when they explain the agenda items. This allows for no room for confusion from the guests, and everyone knows what to expect at the meeting. Meeting hosts can also designate times for each item to be discussed, which allows the speakers to have a clear understanding of how much time they have to speak.

7. Assign an amount of time for each agenda item

When you assign a certain amount of time to each agenda item, nobody should run over their allotted time! Not only can you let your speakers know how much time they have on the agenda, but you can also give them a time warning before or during the meeting. Every speaker should have an allotted time during the meeting to speak, but be very clear that they are not to run over that time.

8. Confirm who is leading each topic

There may be guests at your meeting who are presenting, and you need to confirm with them that they are presenting! Make sure they have the materials they need in order for them to succeed in presenting! Let them know at which point they are presenting in the meeting and how much time they will have!

9. Assign a notetaker

Make sure there is one designated person taking notes during your meeting from beginning to end! They can make note of any highlights or high points from the meeting, as well as any questions or feedback from the guests. These notes can be put into a document and sent to the guests after the meeting is over.

10. Include an icebreaker 

Icebreakers help set the tone for the meeting. These icebreakers can be a quick game or a question you ask the entire group. Everyone can share their answer and the guests can engage with one another. Be sure that these icebreaker questions don’t take up too much time though!

11. Hold enough time for questions and discussion

Reserve time at the end of the meeting for any questions or feedback from the guests. Instead of asking “Does anybody have any questions?” you should ask “What questions do you have?” This opens up the conversation for questions that need to be asked and guests can offer any feedback they have.

12. End with action points and next steps

This point in the meeting introduces  the call to action, and what steps the  guests can take once the meeting is over. There may be more meetings or other types of events you will want your guests to know about; provide your guests with as much information as you can about those events. 

13. Ask for feedback about your meeting

Asking for meeting feedback from your guests helps you plan for any future events. If there was something that your guests liked or disliked about your meeting, you can make sure to include it or exclude it for your next meeting.

How to structure the agenda for team meetings 

Your team meeting agenda, regardless of the type, should try to follow the same meeting structure. In terms of structure, your team meeting agenda should look like this: 

• Introduction/Icebreakers 5-10 min.
• Topic 1 (Name) 15 min.
• Topic 2 (Name) 15 min.
• Q&A Discussion 10 min.
• Guest Feedback 10 min

The core tenets of an effective agenda for team meetings

• Start with an icebreaker
• Communicate your meeting goal
• Schedule the meeting during appropriate times
• Share meeting agenda ahead of time
• Assign next steps after the meeting concludes

Templates for team meeting agendas 

Team meeting: 

Meeting Called By: [Name] Date/Time/Location

Type Of Meeting: [Meeting Type]

Facilitator: [Name]

Notetaker: [Name]

• Introductions and Icebreakers 10 mins.
• Agenda Items: Presenter: Time:

Topic 1 [Name] 15 mins.

Topic 2 [Name] 15 mins.

Topic 3 [Name] 15 mins.

Topic 4 [Name] 10 mins.

Topic 5 [Name] 10 mins.

• Questions and Discussion 10 mins.
• Feedback              5-10 mins.
• Thank You and Closing Remarks 5 mins.

One-on-one meeting:

Manager Name: [Name] Date/Time

Employee Name: [Name]

Location: [Meeting Room]

Greeting: 5-10 mins.

Example questions:

How are you?

How was your weekend?

How are you feeling about the projects you are working on?

Project Recap: 15-20 mins.

Add any accomplishments, progress, and issues

Add any recognition and tips going forward

Wrap Up 5 mins.

Any call to action, ask questions, voice any concerns

Make your team meetings even more effective

By having an agenda for team meetings, meeting hosts and facilitators can keep their event running smoothly! Meetings can easily run off track because of an unrelated topic brought up by a guest. When you create the meeting agenda, be very clear as to who is speaking, the topic they are covering, and how much time they have to cover that topic. Using icebreaker questions can help to set the tone of the whole meeting! Whatever type of meeting you decide to host, you can create an effective agenda that will only lead to a successful and productive meeting. Get in touch with Hubilo to see how our meeting management tool can help you improve the engagement of your team meetings. Request a demo today to know more about our event platform and their features.