No Agenda, No Attenda: How To Improve Meetings

What does no agenda, no meeting mean?

Utilizing meeting agendas to their full potential is a great way to level up your management game. The simple rule to level up is as follows: “no agenda, no attenda”. It’s a simple yet powerful motto meaning if there’s no meeting agenda, you simply won’t attend the meeting. This simple yet powerful message reiterates the importance of the meeting agenda so you and your teammates can rap for the benefits of productive meetings for years to come. 

• 7 Signs Your Meetings Don’t Have an Agenda
• How to avoid a meeting disaster

7 Signs Your Meetings Don’t Have an Agenda

• People don’t show up on time
• Members show up unprepared
• The wrong people show up
• People are confused about the meetings purpose
• The conversation gets derailed easily 
• No roles are assigned
• People often leave early

Have you attended a chaotic meeting and weren’t sure why it went awry? It may be because there was no agenda. Here are 7 telltale signs that may mean a meeting doesn’t having a meeting agenda: 

1 People don’t show up on time 

Are people failing to show up on time to your meetings? This may be a sign that you aren’t setting the expectation upfront. Circling a thorough, structured agenda before your next meeting starts will ensure all attendees know exactly when your meeting kicks off. If you don’t send out an agenda, attendees may feel as though the meeting is fluid and as a result, may not show up on time. 

2Members show up unprepared 

A telling sign for a meeting without an agenda is when everyone in attendance fails to show up prepared. From an attendee’s perspective, it can be very difficult to show up for a meeting prepared if you don’t know what to expect. It can even be uncomfortable or act as a deterrent from attending. As a host, it’s your job to make the meeting as inviting as possible. Circulating a meeting agenda before the meeting will ensure everyone knows what to expect so they can show up to the meeting prepared, and eager to join the conversation. 

3The wrong people show up

Have you ever joined in on a meeting with tons of attendees that don’t contribute or add value to the conversation? Curating a guest list for your next meeting is a very important piece of the puzzle. Failing to be meticulous with who you add to your guest list is a crucial mistake and is often a result of not inviting the proper team members through a meeting agenda. 

4People are confused about the meetings purpose

Like any objective within an organization, teammates need a north star to be able to work towards success. Without a meeting agenda, it can be difficult to encapsulate the meaning of the meeting in a way that everyone in attendance can understand. If attendees are confused about the purpose of your meeting, a quick and easy solution is to send out a meeting agenda with all of the details prior to the meeting.

5The conversation gets derailed easily 

Nothing is worse than a meeting that gets derailed before it even starts. If you’re frequently part of meetings that go awry, it may mean that the host has failed to send out an agenda with a template consisting of talking points and timelines. As the host, it’s extremely important to structure the conversation in a way that produces quality conversations. If the conversation frequently gets derailed, it may mean that important topics get forgotten. It may also mean that everyone’s time hasn’t been optimized, and those that have attended may leave feeling frustrated or confused. 

6No roles are assigned 

Not assigning roles within meetings almost always means that the meeting will be chaotic. Three primary roles that aid in streamlining meetings are a host, a timekeeper, and a note taker. Failing to assign these roles prior to the meeting may result in a chaotic meeting that doesn’t run smoothly. 

7People often leave early

Do you host a weekly meeting that fails to capture the attention of attendees from start to finish? If you frequently notice that people are leaving your meetings early, it may be because the meeting isn’t structured and those in attendance feel as though they can’t contribute or leave with key takeaways. To avoid people leaving early in the future, create a meeting agenda with a structured template that outlines key discussion points and timelines for each section. 

How to avoid a meeting disaster 

• Send a meeting agenda before
• Only invite necessary people
• Assign meeting roles
• Stay on topic and on time
• Cancel the meeting if there’s no agenda
• End on time or early
• No Fellow, No Meeting

As a manager or leader within your organization, it’s very important to be able to master the art of hosting productive meetings. In order to avoid a meeting disaster, you have to be organized and prepared with a thorough meeting agenda consisting of a guest list, action items, talking points, and timelines so all of your team members can adequately prepare. 

1 Send a collaborative meeting agenda before the meeting

Collaborative meeting agendas are a game changer because they enable your entire team to weigh in and add feedback. Collaborative agendas allow all of your teammates to have a say. Instead of being stringent and planning the entire structure of the meeting without a second set of eyes, you’re able to create a template that enables others to share their feedback and weigh in when necessary. Collaborative agendas are particularly important when numerous stakeholders are involved. 

2 Only invite necessary people

Inviting too many people or unnecessary attendees is a quick way to derail your meeting. Instead, be methodical with whom you invite. Fellow’s Meeting Guidelines feature set helps you ensure only the most essential attendees are in your meetings. If a meeting has more than 7 attendees, Fellow will send the meeting organizer a prompt to remove additional attendees, or mark them as optional. When curating a guest list, keep in mind the key stakeholders. Inviting unnecessary bodies may end up being a waste of time and in turn lead to an unproductive meeting. 

3 Assign meeting roles

When running a meeting, roles are imperative. Assigning meeting roles not only helps the meeting run smoothly, but it also boosts morale and helps attendees become more attentive. Key roles include a host, a timekeeper, and a note taker. The host handles everything from invites to direction during the call, the timekeeper oversees timing attendees when there’s a structured agenda, and the note taker is in charge of keeping track of key talking points and decisions. Part of the note takers duties include noting key takeaways and next steps so those in attendance know how to proceed when the meeting finishes.

4 Stay on topic and on time

Staying on topic and on time is extremely important. As the host, it’s your responsibility to steer the conversation and make sure attendees move from topic to topic within the allotted time frame. If attendees aren’t aware of the meeting agenda, they may end up speaking on topics that aren’t relevant or prolonging the conversation past the allotted amount of time. 

5 Cancel the meeting if there’s no agenda

Haven’t had time to flesh out a functional meeting agenda? Cancel your meeting until you do. It’s no secret that meetings run much more smoothly with a meeting agenda and pressing pause until you have the time to create a structured agenda will ensure you host productive meetings from here on out. 

Additionally, if you’re set to attend a meeting with no agenda, simply reiterate the words you now live by which is “no agenda, no meeting”.  Not only will you be saving yourself tie, but you will also be reiterating the message that you prefer to only attend when there’s a meeting agenda. Remember, no agenda, no attenda! 

6 End on time or early 

Nothing feels better than gaining back a little bit of your time when one of your meetings ends early. If you can’t end early, the next best thing is to wrap up on time. As a host, you don’t want to build a reputation for keeping people past the time that the meeting was supposed to end. Instead, it is important to be respectful of everyone’s time and cognizant that those in attendance may have another meeting or obligation as soon as your meeting finishes. 

7 No Fellow, No Meeting

Loved by the world’s best teams from companies like Webflow, Tophat, Shopify, and Uber, Fellow has been rated the #1 meeting management software on G2. Fellow drives engagement and productivity before, during, and after every meeting by fostering accountability, encouraging continuous improvement, and enabling important conversations; all through one easy-to-use portal that can be integrated into your existing tool belt.

Creating meaningful meetings has never been more important and Fellow makes it easier than ever. By leveraging Fellow, you can connect your meeting tools to your favorite apps like Asana, Jira, and Zapier to streamline workflows and heighten productivity.  

Interested in learning more about how Fellow can help you and your team members collaborate on meeting agendas, record decisions, and keep each other accountable? Book a demo today to learn how Fellow can help improve productivity for you and your organization.