I recently led a team to organize some Toastmasters training events in July and August. When I first joined the team, the meetings did not follow an agenda. Also, meeting notices were not being sent out prior to the meeting, so sometimes I wondered if we were still having a meeting. The meetings were also virtual via the Zoom platform, and by not getting email notices about the meeting it left me wondering if I would get the Zoom link for the meeting or if I was supposed to use the same Zoom link as last time.

After taking over leadership of the team I created an agenda for each team meeting. I also sent email reminders each week with the Zoom link for the meeting. This helped my team members to remember that a meeting was coming up and it ensured they had the correct Zoom link for the upcoming meeting.

So why did I create agendas? The reason is that I wanted everyone to be aware of what we would be discussing during the meeting. Having an agenda during the meeting also ensured that we would not forget to cover important items of business during the meeting. Following an agenda also helped to keep the meetings on track.

When I lead a team, I offer my team members the opportunity to contribute business items to the agenda for an upcoming meeting. I cannot always anticipate everything that the team needs or wants to discuss, so by allowing team members to add items to the agenda for an upcoming meeting I can ensure that everyone on the team has the opportunity to have their needs discussed during a team meeting.

How do you find out what everyone wants to discuss at a meeting? The answer is: ask them! Send an email at least a week before the meeting with a draft copy of the agenda and ask your team members to send you any items of business they want to discuss at the meeting. This allows them to see the items of business that you want to discuss, and it gives them the opportunity to add their own items of business to the agenda.

Another way to find out what your team members would like to discuss is to call for approval of the agenda at the start of a meeting. When approving the agenda, ask everyone present at the meeting if they have any items of business to add to the agenda. After everyone has had the opportunity to add items to the agenda, call for a vote to accept the agenda as amended. You can then proceed with the meeting.

Something else that is important when leading a team is to send them meeting reminders, especially when leading a team of volunteers. Some people use electronic reminders to help them remember when they have an upcoming meeting, but not everyone on your team may use the same system as you. It can be helpful to send them a reminder a few days before the meeting. Also, when meeting virtually it can help people to find the meeting link for the virtual meeting more easily if they have it in a recent email instead of having to search through older emails. A more recent email reminder will show up higher in their inbox and will be easier for them to find.

When sending an email reminder for a meeting, be sure to include both the agenda for the meeting and any information on meeting location, such as a Zoom link or directions to the meeting room if meeting in person. Also be sure to mention the meeting date and time in the reminder email. This will help people to remember what is being discussed at the meeting, where the meeting is taking place, and when the meeting is.

Conclusion

When leading a team, it is important to follow an agenda. Following an agenda keeps a meeting on track and lets the team know what items of business will be discussed.

In addition to using an agenda, you should also send meeting reminders to your team. This will help them to remember that a meeting is coming up. Not everyone has a system of reminders to help them remember an upcoming meeting, so as a leader you can help them to remember by sending a reminder closer to the date of the meeting.

Both of these techniques, using an agenda and sending meeting reminders, will help you lead a team more effectively.