A good meeting agenda will serve as a guide to participants, making the meeting more efficient and productive. An effective meeting agenda, which states what activities will take place during the meeting, serves various important functions:

It forces the meeting leader or group to think out what needs to be accomplished

Provided ahead of time, the agenda lets people know what to expect and allows them to prepare as necessary

It provides a blueprint or path for the meeting to follow

It reminds people of what there is left to cover if time gets to be an issue

All Committee Chairs are expected to create and distribute (by email) an Agenda, at the least one day, before the proposed meeting, to all meeting participants. The basic format includes:

• Committee Name
• Date / Time (start and end)
• Location of meeting
• Topics to be discussed, announced or approved
• Reminders of “homework” and any project specific timelines

Whoo-hooo!