Meeting Agenda Tips for Getting the Most out of Community Association Meetings

Meetings don't always run smoothly, especially in community association meetings. People have different opinions, focus strays and many times you'll only realize you forgot to go over something important once the meeting is already over and everyone went home. When you have to discuss important issues and make decisions as a group, it's essential to have a meeting agenda to ensure that you stay on topic and address everything that needs to be addressed.

Here are 4 tips to creating a meeting agenda that you will actually use:

1. Include meeting information: Send out an agenda before every meeting and make sure to include the time and location of the meeting. The agenda should answer any questions that attendees need to know before the meeting starts.
2. Determine the focus: What is the goal of the meeting? Determine what needs to be accomplished and make sure everyone is aware. Be clear on whether the meeting is just for brainstorming or if a decision needs to be made. Attendees will not be able to fully participate if they don't know ahead of time which topics the meeting will cover and what the goals are.
3. Include time allotments: Including time allotments will help keep you on track and reduce the chances of moving into a discussion about something not relevant to that specific meeting. Of course you sometimes need to be flexible, but having a general idea of how the meeting will run before it starts is essential to making the most out of your time together.
4. Determine roles: Decide who is responsible for what before the meeting starts. Make sure everyone is clear on who is going to lead the meeting and be clear on what, if any, information attendees need to prepare beforehand.

These may seem like simple tips, but holding a meeting should be simple. As long as you are prepared and all attendees have all the information they need, you'll reduce the likelihood of tardiness, getting off topic, and generally just wasting time in a meeting. Use these tips to help you create a meeting agenda template so that you can consistently stay on task and hold effective meetings that get to the point and in which you accomplish everything you need to get done.