Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Drive A Tight Agenda
An effective meeting agenda goes beyond start time, location, topics and durations.
When leading a project meeting, you must drive the agenda, not let it drive you. There’s no secret sauce on this; it means keeping the original meeting’s purpose in mind, observing what is actually happening in the meeting, and continually assessing whether the purpose is being met. Consider these guidelines next time you plan and lead a meeting:
Define the meeting’s purpose. You’ve called the meeting for a reason; make sure that the purpose is explicit and achievable. A good sanity check is that you should be able to complete this sentence: “At the end of this meeting we should be able to _______.”
Craft agenda items to meet purpose. Make sure that agenda items support the meeting’s purpose. If they don’t, change the item or change the purpose.
Allocate realistic time for each item. Don’t put overly aggressive times on the agenda that can’t be achieved.
Distribute the agenda before the meeting. Meeting attendees want to know what will be discussed and if preparation is needed prior to the meeting. Give them a day to review the agenda and get mentally ready for the meeting.
Prioritize agenda items. Schedule your top items at the beginning of the meeting. This will ensure they are covered …
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One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'. - Dan Quayle |