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Formal Meeting Agenda Template | Sample

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Formal Meeting Agenda Template | Sample

Updated August 08, 2023

A formal meeting agenda is a general guideline for all items that shall be discussed throughout the entirety of a certain meeting. Attendees can refer to the agenda to look at an overview of the meeting and plan their contributions accordingly. Regardless of the meeting’s nature, an agenda can serve as a blueprint to facilitate the flow and effectiveness of the formal gathering. Agendas are particularly functional when formal meeting minutes are being recorded by a secretary or in cases where attendees are voting on resolutions regarding new and old business. No matter the case, a formal meeting can benefit from an accompanying agenda that will ensure all attendees stay on track throughout its duration.

Table of Contents

Formatting (9 parts)

A formal meeting agenda can be formatted in several ways depending on the nature of the business being conducted. Below is a general template for formal use in businesses, organizations, and boards. Items can be altered or even added at the discretion of the individual tasked with creating the agenda.

I. Meeting Details

The chairperson, facilitator, or meeting leader shall include all basic meeting details. These commonly include meeting date and time, location, and keynote speakers. A dial-in number or URL can be added if the meeting will be held online through a video-conferencing application (such as Zoom, Skype, Teams, etc).

II. Opening

The opening item serves as an introduction to the meeting in general and its primary purposes. Meeting leaders often use this time to provide a brief background on their credentials and establish the tone of the meeting. Many leaders also use this time to allow for a grace period (anywhere from 5-10 minutes) for any late arrivals.

The person in charge of the formal meeting minutes can officially call the meeting into order upon the start time and begin documenting (if necessary).

III. Take Attendance

All attendees and absentees of the meeting can be recorded after going through standard roll call. A list of those present and absent can be added to the agenda document.

IV. Agenda Approval

The agenda should be distributed amongst all the attendees. After careful consideration of the stipulated items, attendees will vote to approve the agenda as-is. Attendees may vote or motion to add items they deem should be included on the agenda. Once approved, the agenda will proceed as mutually agreed upon.

Note that approval of the agenda may only apply to certain organizations or boards. If approval is not required, the meeting leader can simply use this slot to introduce the agenda by overviewing the items with those in attendance.

V. Distribute Previous Meeting Minutes

The individual in charge of distributing meeting minutes, usually a secretary, seeks approval from the attendees for the prior meeting’s minutes. Attendees shall vote to approve the prior meeting’s minutes based on the accuracy of the description of previous discussions.

To reiterate, note that the distribution of formal meeting minutes may only apply to certain organizations or boards. Feel free to omit this item from the agenda at the discretion of the meeting organizer.

VI. Old Business

Prior to attending to new business, it is worth addressing older matters that have yet to be resolved or completed. Many issues that have been tabled may be alluded to during the distribution of prior minutes; therefore, this allocated time can be dedicated to discussing those earlier affairs.

Formal meetings usually entail voting on resolutions. All decisions can be put to a vote after carefully contemplating and discussing all options. If this is the case, a vote should be docked on the agenda under “Old Business.”

VII. New Business

This item on the agenda should take a larger portion of time since the purpose of the meeting will likely be addressed during this item’s discussion. Here, the meeting leader and other speakers (if any) will present the formal business at hand and any pertinent information on the matter.

As is the case for old business, decisions may be put to a vote in order to move towards resolutions– if applicable.

VIII. Other Items

Any matters that went undiscussed may be reserved for this section of the agenda.

Round-Robin Discussion

It is crucial to open the floor for questions and related comments given the new business being discussed. An effective way to do this entails each attendee chiming in with their input on the matters in question. Having this item on the agenda will also encourage attendees to reserve their questions until the allocated time for an open forum.

IX. Adjournment

Finally, the individual in charge will conclude the meeting when all items have been discussed or upon the meeting’s set end-time. The secretary or otherwise authorized individual can approve meeting minutes upon adjournment, if and when applicable.

Sample – Formal Meeting Agenda

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