Crafting a meeting agenda that is tailored to your team's unique needs and objectives is a simple process. FigJam's whiteboard tool offers an ideal platform to create and share your agenda with ease. Start by choosing the Run a Team Meeting Template, and then follow these straightforward steps to customize it according to your requirements.
Step 1: Determine what your team values.
One of the most frequent criticisms of team meetings is that they are unproductive and a waste of time. This can lead to disengagement and lack of participation. To avoid this, identify topics your teammates would like to see covered, activities they would like to participate in, or challenges they would like to discuss as a group.
Step 2: Develop an agenda based on their feedback.
After gathering input from your team members, take the time to construct a comprehensive agenda that outlines what will be discussed during the meeting. By doing so, you can ensure that everyone is aware of the topics being covered before they attend.
Step 3: Distribute the agenda to all participants.
Before the meeting, ensure that everyone receives a copy of the agenda so they can prepare accordingly. It's helpful to phrase the agenda items as questions rather than vague statements. For example, instead of listing "editorial calendar" as an item, you could ask "should we update the editorial calendar?". This approach provides clarity and helps participants understand what to expect during the meeting. Displaying the agenda on a shared board during the meeting allows everyone to reference it easily and stay on track.
Step 4: Allocate time for each agenda item using a whiteboard.
This approach guarantees that every topic on the agenda is addressed within the allotted time frame and allows team members to structure their questions and comments accordingly. You can use a timer to keep track of how long each item is being discussed, and once the set time has elapsed, you can move onto the next item. This method ensures that discussions remain on track and helps prevent meetings from running over their scheduled time limit.
Step 5: Offer multiple communication channels for team members.
People have varying preferences when it comes to expressing their thoughts during meetings. Some are more comfortable speaking up verbally, while others prefer typing out their ideas or even sketching them. By only providing a single means of communication, you may be excluding certain voices from the conversation. To avoid this, leverage FigJam's features to offer a range of communication channels that cater to different styles of expression. This includes tools such as the chat box and the ability to upload sketches or other visual aids during the meeting.
Step 6: Share meeting artifacts with attendees.
Following the meeting, it's essential to send a summary of the discussion along with the board itself. This allows participants to review their notes and have a clear understanding of what was covered during the meeting. By doing so, everyone can hit the ground running and ensure that they are aligned on next steps and action items.
