Years ago, a sales coach taught me to have an agenda for every meeting. More specifically, the reverse: no meetings without an agenda. It’s a lesson I have applied to every meeting since, whether it’s a phone call, video meeting, or in-person gathering.
Sometimes the agenda is just for me – a guide to make sure I cover everything I want to talk about. In those cases, I’ll still speak to the reason we’re talking, saying something like, “I have several questions about the current advertising campaigns, and at the end of the call, we’ll decide if…”
More often, the agenda is a stand-alone document or dedicated email, shared in advance with all expected attendees. Sending an agenda in advance is powerful. It’s an effective communication on its own, sending a message that you are prepared and organized. It also helps the other attendees prepare and respond if they have additional topics that should be discussed in the meeting. Agendas lead to efficient meetings and show you value others’ time.
As one of our clients recently shared, “Your team shows up prepared and engaged. Agendas are thorough, and meetings are structured and thoughtful.”
Good agendas not only set you apart and elevate your communication, they force you to prepare for each meeting in advance, keep the meetings running smoothly, and serve as a blueprint for follow-up actions.
Finally, asking for an agenda when someone schedules a meeting with you is a bit of a power move. Doing so sets guardrails for your time and establishes that you value meetings that are productive. Requesting an agenda is a great way to be efficient with requests for your time.
If a meeting isn’t important enough for an agenda, perhaps it’s not important enough for your time.
