How to Format a Basic Meeting Agenda (Free Templates)

Though most people have their calendars filled with multiple meetings throughout the day, they are often considered a drain on time and end up as a mere formality rather than a productive session. One of the reasons why meetings turn out to be so unproductive is that they often lack a clear direction and discussions go off track. An agenda is the solution to keep your discussion on track and make sure that each meeting leads to actionable outcomes. 

In this article, we will walk you through what preparing a meeting agenda means and what essential sections it should contain. To give you a better idea of how to draft an agenda for your meetings, a sample agenda is also included. We will also invite you to explore the multiple types of agenda templates that were developed for meetings of various complexity. You can simply download these templates and fill in the agenda items for your meetings without having to worry about formatting or layout. 

Lastly, some best practices are included to make sure that your agenda is always professional and supports meetings in your organization. 

What is an Agenda for a Meeting?

An agenda is a list of topics that will be discussed during a meeting. Besides this, agendas also contain the names of the individuals who would lead each discussion item and the time allocated for each topic. 

With the list of discussion items clearly outlined, the agenda allows for a more focused discussion in each meeting. 

Agendas are usually distributed in advance to help all participants prepare for the meeting and provide a more collaborative approach to business meetings.

Essential Elements Every Agenda Should Include

Every meeting has a different scope and level of complexity. While some meetings have detailed discussions that include strategic planning for the organization, some simpler, more frequent meetings act as check-ins with team members. Regardless of the type of meeting, each meeting agenda features some common elements that can be modified according to the nature of the meeting.

Meeting details

For each agenda, it is important to include some key details, like the time and date of the proposed meeting. Moreover, the location and the title of the meeting are also mentioned at the start of the document as well. 

List of attendees

It is important that the right participants are invited to a meeting to ensure a productive session. In the agenda document, you will always find a list of attendees as well as their respective roles in the organization. 

Meeting purpose or objective

Each meeting has a purpose or objective. The agenda should briefly explain the purpose of the gathering to provide the participants with a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved as a result of the discussions.

Agenda items

The purpose of the agenda is to inform the participants about the purpose of the meeting and the details of what will be discussed. The list of Agenda items is a numbered, bulleted list of each item that would be discussed during the meeting. These are usually brief and concise statements that capture the main theme of the discussion item. Then include the assigned time of the discussions as well. 

Old business (optional)

Most meetings would address the unresolved issues from the previous meeting and then approve the minutes of that meeting. This is referred to as Old Business in an agenda. 

New business (optional)

Any new discussions, updates, or decisions that need to be made in the meeting are called New Business. This is the part of the meeting where new topics for future planning, like planning a new project, making a decision, solving a problem, etc. 

Action items

Once the main discussion has taken place, the meeting chair or team lead assigns tasks to certain individuals. These are called action items and each action item has a deadline or date set for when it should be completed. By assigning tasks with clear deadlines, everyone knows what they need to do and when it needs to be done, so things get done on time and nothing is forgotten. 

To understand this better, consider these two examples.

Closing remarks

The meeting chair would summarize the discussions that took place during the meeting and make any relevant announcements or reminders related to tasks discussed. The closing remarks will also include the announcement of the next meeting’s date. 

Adjournment

The agenda would feature the name of the person who would officially conclude the meeting and mention the time when the meeting would end. Most meetings usually adhere to a strict schedule and would indicate the time it should end; however, if the meeting does not actually end at the specified time for any reason, this could be mentioned in the meetings. 

You can use the sample agenda shown below to help you when you write your own:

Create Professional Agendas with these Free Templates

This suite of templates at WordLayouts is developed to cater to various types of meeting agendas. These customizable templates are available in multiple formats and can be easily modified to your unique requirements. These templates have been developed with the best practices in corporate documentation and exude professionalism and accuracy each time you use them.

We break them down into four major categories: Sales, Board, Staff/Team, and Basic. Each category includes different subtypes based on the meeting’s frequency or specific purpose.

Sales meeting agenda

A structured sales meeting agenda helps you organize a results-oriented session. Whether you are conducting a weekly check-in with your team or planning long-term sales strategies in an annual review, an agenda will keep the conversation on track. 

Every sales meeting has its own rhythm and requirements and our collection of various sales meeting agendas will provide the right structure for your requirements. These ready-to-use sales meeting agenda templates with clear frameworks that eliminate the need to create a new agenda for each meeting time. 

• One-on-One Sales Meetings: Focus on individual sales rep performance and development.
• Weekly Sales Meetings: Discuss ongoing sales progress, updates, and challenges.
• Monthly Sales Meeting Agenda: Analyze performance against targets, plan for the upcoming month, and strategize.
• Annual Sales Meeting Agenda: Review yearly performance, set new goals, and discuss long-term strategies.

Board meeting agenda templates

A board meeting agenda is a structured document that lists all the items discussed at a meeting in chronological order. The agenda is usually prepared by the board secretary in consultation with the president. A typical board meeting agenda would include a call to order, approval of the previous meeting minutes, the presentation of the executive director’s report and reports from various committees, old business to discuss any issues from the previous meeting, and new business. 

Specifically designed for various formats—including corporate boards, nonprofits, and executive teams—these board agenda templates in our collection encompass all the key elements necessary for successful meetings. 

Whether you are planning an annual board meeting or responding to an emergency, these templates will help you quickly create professional agendas for a well-organized meeting.

• Nonprofit Board Meeting Agenda: Designed for nonprofit organizations, focusing on governance, fundraising, and strategic initiatives.
• Annual Board Meeting Agenda: For comprehensive year-end reviews, goal setting, and long-term planning.
• Quarterly Board Meeting Agenda: Track progress, review financials, and adjust strategies for the next quarter.
• Emergency Board Meeting Agenda: Address urgent issues or decisions that need immediate attention.

Staff/team meeting agenda templates

Whether you manage a small team or lead a department, regular meetings with your staff and team members are an essential part of corporate life. With well-planned agendas, you can keep everyone focused and promote collaboration at your meetings. 

This collection of staff meeting agenda templates helps leaders create clear meeting agendas to have focused discussions and productive meetings. Whether conducting a weekly check-in with your team or having a monthly review of the staff’s progress, these templates will help you create clear objectives, achieve active participation, and have productive sessions every time.

• Weekly Team Meeting Agenda: Discuss project updates, deadlines, and team collaboration.
• Monthly Team Meeting Agenda: Review team performance, goals, and upcoming initiatives.
• Weekly Staff Meeting Agenda: Keep the staff informed and aligned on tasks and priorities.
• Monthly Staff Meeting Agenda: More detailed reviews of staff performance and upcoming tasks or changes.

Basic meeting agenda templates

This collection of basic meeting agenda templates has been developed for cross-industry applications with a broad range of needs in mind. Each template features standard sections like date, time, and location of the meetings. It lists agenda items like a review of the previous meeting, announcements, the main discussion topics, action items, a question session, and a formal closing.

The universal format of these agenda templates will facilitate efficient planning and transparent communications across sectors, regardless of your industry—tech, healthcare, education finance, or government.

• One-on-One Meeting Agenda: Focus on personal goals, development, and performance.
• Finance Meeting Agenda: Review budgets, financial reports, and upcoming expenditures.
• Weekly Basic Meeting Agenda: Regular check-ins to ensure tasks and projects are on track.
• Monthly Basic Meeting Agenda: Used for broader discussions and planning over the course of the month.

All these templates are available in multiple formats, and you can access them in DOCX, Google Docs, and ODT formats. They are fully editable and can be customized according to the requirements of your meetings. You can easily edit headings, rearrange the layout or remove or add sections. Moreover, you can add your company’s logo and format the fonts and colors to align with your branding.

Developed for both print and online use, these templates will ensure that you have a polished document for each meeting.

Best Practices for Writing Effective Agendas

When planning a meeting, an agenda is essential for ensuring a productive session and effective time management. Here are some tips to help you create agendas that respect your colleagues’ time and plan effective sessions: 

• Do not overcrowd the agenda. Add only relevant items to ensure sufficient time for each topic.
• Include buffer time for unexpected discussions or overruns. You can allocate some discussion or feedback in your agenda items to handle extra discussions. 
• It is important that you include necessary background information or attach relevant documents so participants can prepare.
• The agenda should always be distributed in advance. Send the agenda at least 24–48 hours before the meeting.
• If you are planning longer meetings, such as an AGM, a monthly meeting, etc., then schedule short breaks to maintain focus.
• Do not forget to mention time zones for remote teams to avoid confusion.