# Make a meeting agenda that names the decisions

A meeting agenda should tell people why they are meeting, what they need to decide, and what to read beforehand. Start with the desired outcome, then choose the discussions needed to reach it. AI can organize the draft, but the meeting owner must confirm the purpose, participants, and time available.

## Decide whether a meeting is needed
If the only goal is to share an update, an email may be enough. A meeting is more useful when people need to resolve a tradeoff, make a decision together, or work through a question that benefits from conversation. State the unresolved issue before adding a recurring time slot.

For a fictional invitation project, “Discuss invitation” is vague. “Choose one of two invitation layouts so the designer can prepare the final draft” names a result. The agenda can then focus on the choice instead of reviewing the entire project history.

## A worked 30-minute agenda
The following timings are original planning choices, not a universal meeting rule.

| Time | Discussion | Needed result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0–5 minutes | Confirm audience and non-negotiable details | Shared comparison basis |
| 5–15 minutes | Compare the two layouts | Questions about fit and readability |
| 15–25 minutes | Resolve concerns and choose a layout | A decision or a named missing input |
| 25–30 minutes | Confirm owner and next step | Who prepares the final draft and when |

The blocks total 30 minutes. If an important input is missing, the result may be a follow-up question rather than a choice. Say that in the notes instead of pretending the meeting decided.

## Give participants something specific to prepare
Send the two drafts and the question you want answered. For example: “Please check the event details and note anything that would make the invitation hard to read on a phone.” This request is narrower than “Come with your thoughts.”

Check that the links open for the people invited. If they need information only one participant holds, name that dependency before the meeting. Do not assign preparation work to someone without confirming they can provide it.

## Copy this agenda template
```text
Meeting purpose: [decision or shared work]
Result we need: [what should exist when we finish]
Meeting owner: [person]
Participants: [people needed for this decision]
Before the meeting: [specific document or question]
Available time: [minutes]

Item: [question to discuss]
Owner: [person introducing it]
Time allowed: [minutes]
Needed result: [decision, clarification, or next step]

At the end:
Decision made: [or not made, with reason]
Next action and owner: [confirmed]
Timing: [confirmed date, or still to arrange]
```

## Ask AI to reduce the agenda
Paste the draft and ask: “Which items are updates we could send beforehand? Which item depends on a decision earlier in the meeting? Does the total fit the time we have?” Keep the actual constraints with the request. An AI cannot know who has decision authority unless you tell it.

If the proposed agenda is too long, narrow the result or split the work. Trimming every item to two minutes may create the appearance of a plan without leaving enough time to resolve anything.

## Close the loop afterward
Record the decision and next action in ordinary language. Keep unapproved suggestions separate from commitments. An agenda is the plan; the meeting notes are the record of what actually happened. Use the same item names in both so participants can trace the discussion without reading a transcript.

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SkillStall · 2026-10-03