Agenda (meeting) - Definition and Overview

An agenda is a list of points to be discussed at a meeting, along with the order of points to be discussed. An agenda is usually distributed to a meeting's participants prior to the meeting, so that they will be aware of the subjects to be discussed, and are able to prepare for the meeting accordingly.

An agenda is usually headed with the date, time and location of the meeting, followed by a series of points outlining the order of the meeting.

Points on a typical agenda may include:

• Welcome/open meeting
• Apologies for absence
• Approve minutes of the previous meeting
• Matters arising from the previous meeting
• a list of specific points to be discussed — this section is where the bulk of the discussion in the meeting usually takes place.
• Any other business — allowing a participant to raise another point for discussion.
• Arrange/announce details of next meeting
• Close meeting