With more than a fifth (22%) of respondents to iBabs’ State of Meeting Management 2024 survey confirming they spend more than half their working week in meetings, it is important that these meetings prove worthwhile. Yet, only 51% of participants claimed to be satisfied with the way meetings ran in their organisation.
Unfortunately, the individuals in important positions on executive teams are likely to be those who spend the most time around the table, and the results of our report show that many companies might not be making the most of their top talent when it comes to meeting outcomes.
The executive meeting is a key element in your senior leadership calendar, allowing for top-level discussion and driving value creation for the business. But to be successful, you need to ensure you plan the meetings in such a way that provides the best possible foundation for success.
This article provides an executive meeting agenda template and advice on what to include in that agenda, plus tips to make the process more efficient.
How are executive meeting agendas different?
Whereas a board meeting agenda is formal and standardised, with many different organisations running their sessions in a similar way, an executive meeting agenda works differently. An executive meeting can take a variety of forms and, although there will be many elements shared by different companies, each organisation designs its structure in a way that best meets the business’ needs.
Rather than being open to all board members, including non-executive directors, an executive meeting brings together just the executive team. During the session, they will generally:
- Review performance in their teams, highlighting successes and updating on their progress towards their goals
- Work out solutions to challenges by discussing current issues and inviting feedback and suggestions
- Set meeting action items to ensure accountability and provide a roadmap to achieving each department’s goals.
How the business uses these sessions is an internal choice, meaning that the agenda for an executive meeting is likely to be more loose in structure and able to be adjusted as required by the circumstances in the organisation at that time.
Who sets the agenda for executive meetings?
The meeting chair will often create the agenda for an executive meeting, although sometimes this task formally lands with the CEO. If the focus of the meeting relates to just one department, it might be that the executive in charge of that area might take the lead on the agenda. For example, where the meeting concentrates on financial performance, it might fall to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to create the meeting agenda.
Setting the executive meeting agenda can be a collaborative effort, with all attendees consulted for their input on the key issues that need addressing. Each participant may also share pertinent updates that are important for other members of the executive team to hear.
The officer tasked with developing the agenda receives this feedback and creates a final document that aligns with these priorities and addresses the operational and strategic issues. They then distribute the agenda to all attendees in advance of the meeting to allow them to review and prepare.
How to write the executive meeting agenda
Determine the meeting details
Your executive team are busy people, with a range of responsibilities. This makes it important to work ahead and block out time for meetings in advance. The chances of finding a convenient time for all attendees become less likely the more you postpone it.
Organise regular meeting days and times well in advance, whether you opt for weekly or monthly executive team meetings. Once they are scheduled, you can add the information to each agenda.
The location is an important detail to include too. State whether it will take place solely in person and, if so, note the address of the venue. For hybrid and fully virtual executive meetings, include the link for attendees to join or instructions on how to take part through your meeting portal, for example.
Where to add in the agenda: This essential detail should be placed at the top of the agenda so attendees can immediately understand where they need to be and when.
Identify key participants
Once you have determined who will chair the meeting and who will take the meeting minutes, add this detail to the agenda. This allows participants to direct questions about how the meeting will run to the correct individuals.
You should also identify all of those participants who will contribute to the meeting in an official capacity. This includes those who are presenting to the meeting and are responsible for the different sections of the session.
Note their name, their role and details on what they will do within the meeting. This helps attendees understand the nature of the meeting and helps them prepare pertinent questions for speakers to help reach effective conclusions and make better decisions.
Where to add in the agenda: Detail the chair and minute taker at the top of the agenda with the rest of the essential meeting information. For the speakers, add their information next to the relevant item of business in the running order of the meeting.
Define the purpose and goals of the meeting
The purpose and goals of your meeting will depend on the issues relating to the organisation and its departments at that time. This is why it is important to have one point of contact to create and hone the meeting agenda. They will read through the input from the attendees and curate the meeting from those suggestions, creating a focused and purposeful meeting.
Once you have the agenda items in place, you can identify the objectives of the meeting. Whether it is responding to a challenge, pre-empting another issue, ideation for faster growth or any other goal, note down the things you want to achieve from that meeting and the outcomes that you expect.
Ensure you do not add in too many meeting objectives or goals for the meeting or it will become less focused, less useful and less likely to result in the desired outcomes. Check that the objectives you identify align with the company’s strategic priorities and current conditions.
Where to add in the agenda: Add the objectives for the meeting early in the agenda, just after the introductions and catch-up between executives. This marks the transition from pleasantries to the main content of the meeting and resets the focus in the room.
Determine the call to order and roll call
The call to order is the point at which the meeting begins. There is only a limited amount of time in which to deal with all of the matters at hand, so the call to order should occur at the designated time and mark the official commencement.
By including this in your agenda, you show the attendees when they need to be ready to take part and contribute to the business at hand.
Task a member with taking the roll call and noting who is in attendance when the meeting takes place. This information is important for determining who was party to the information of the meeting and who will need to catch up on the business discussed and decisions taken. This record of attendance can also be used to measure the engagement of your executives over a period of time.
Where to add in the agenda: The call to order appears at the beginning of the meeting schedule. Take the roll call before this to ensure all necessary members are in attendance. If you require a quorum for your executive meetings, this is important to achieve before the chair can call the meeting to order.
Set time for minutes approval
Although meeting minutes are not a legal requirement for executive team meetings, they provide a helpful summary of the decisions and discussions from the previous meeting. They help members stay on track with action items and add accountability to attendees.
With this in mind, adding a section to the agenda for members to approve the minutes of the previous meeting is helpful in the governance process.
You can distribute the minutes in three different manners:
- During the next meeting at the approval stage
- In advance of the next meeting, soon after the previous meeting takes place
- Attached to the agenda of the next meeting.
By providing meeting attendees with the minutes in advance, they can read and review them before they arrive at the room, saving time during that meeting. The approval section can be simply a quick vote, rather than having to designate time for members to read the minutes, discuss the contents, request changes and for them to be edited accordingly before being finally approved.
Where to add in the agenda: Place this section early on in the meeting so that you get the previous meeting matters out of the way before dealing with the new business.
Create a section for executive presentations
The meeting is an opportunity for executives to talk about what is happening in their department and the challenges that they face. This means that you should allow them space to make presentations or executive reports to the meeting.
Add the title of the person making the report and a short description of what they will talk about during their time on the floor. It will look like this:
Speaker | Topic |
CEO report | Feedback from the recent product launch |
CFO report | Financial status update, budget review and projections |
COO report | Supply chain disruption in the Red Sea, upcoming initiatives |
Where to add in the agenda: Invite the reports to take place during the opening of the meeting. This provides an overview of where the company stands and where it needs to be, which can inform the later discussion.
List business items
Some of the subjects from the executive reports may be discussed amongst the team during the main business section of the meeting. This is where you set out in the agenda a few topics for debate which align with the objectives of your meeting and which will provide the most value for your business when resolved.
The order of business should begin with any unfinished business from the previous meeting that is still relevant for this meeting. Following that, set out the new business items on the agenda with a clear description of what they refer to and the main discussion points. List the name of the speaker who will introduce the item and any decisions or actions that need to arise from the discussion of the topic.
It is also a good idea to leave some additional time at the end of this section for any new talking points that arise during the meeting. It may be that something from the executive reports sparks a discussion and helps to resolve a challenge faced by one of the company’s departments.
Where to add in the agenda: The business section is the main meat of the content of the agenda. It comes after the introductions and reports, taking up the majority of the allotted meeting time.
Review and finalise the agenda
Having populated the sections of the agenda, send it to attendees for their review. They can feed back on any items they feel are not necessary, any changes they feel you should make and any additional items that they feel should be included.
From this feedback, you can rework the document to make sure it hits all the necessary points and works to provide momentum for a successful and productive meeting. Finalise the agenda and distribute it to participants in good time so they can prepare thoroughly for the meeting.
Download executive meeting agenda template
Find an executive meeting agenda template in our collection of agenda templates ready for you to download and customise today.
Tips to make executive meetings more efficient
- Set clear objectives by defining and communicating the purpose and goals of the meeting to participants in advance.
- Prepare a detailed agenda that helps attendees understand exactly what they will be discussing and voting on, as well as allocating specific times for each topic to ensure it does not run too long.
- Keep meetings concise to ensure that there is a focused debate that does not stray off on tangents. Effective meetings are ideally no longer than 90 minutes to maintain interest amongst meeting participants.
- Start and end on time out of respect for your participants’ time and to allow them time to go away and turn decisions into actions.
- Encourage pre-meeting preparation by providing participants with the materials they need well in advance, being focused on the objectives of the meeting and allowing for pre-meeting collaboration between stakeholders.
- Assign roles for the meeting, including the chair, timekeeper and note-taker to keep the meeting on track and well-documented.
- Encourage input from all attendees to ensure a diverse spread of voices have their say and prevent any one person from dominating the conversation
- Use visual aids, such as charts, slides and video to clarify complex information to the assembled participants.
- Base discussions and decisions on data and evidence, not just opinions. Ensure that all attendees have access to reporting and metrics to allow them to make informed choices when they vote.
- Regularly summarise key points and decisions to ensure clarity and agreement. This reinforces their importance and provides accountability.
- Clearly define action items, individual responsibilities and deadlines before the meeting ends.
- Distribute meeting minutes promptly and track the progress of action items to ensure that all participants are aligned on the agreed outcomes of the meeting and that decisions turn into actions.
- Use reliable tools, such as a meeting management portal, for easy agenda creation, running virtual meetings, document sharing and real-time collaboration.
- Regularly seek feedback from participants to continuously improve meeting processes.
FAQ
What is an executive meeting?
An executive meeting is a gathering of your senior management team, where they discuss and make decisions on strategic and operational matters within the organisation. The meeting allows these leaders to keep up to date with the activity in other departments within the business.
Who sets the agenda for executive meetings?
Whoever is chairing the meeting will usually have the final say over the agenda, but it is often a collaborative effort. Each executive suggests items and then reviews the final document to ensure that the meeting will meet its objectives.
How often should executive meetings be held?
Each organisation will have its own schedule for how often it holds executive team meetings, depending on its requirements. Some may hold brief weekly meetings, whilst others will opt for a longer monthly catch-up of the executive team.
How can remote participants be effectively integrated into executive meetings?
Using a reliable video conferencing tool, remote participants can access the events of a hybrid executive meeting. Ensure all participants – in person or remote – have the same opportunity to speak and vote. You can achieve this using a meeting management portal, such as iBabs.
How to handle situations when key agenda items are not concluded?
For an executive meeting, you can carry unfinished business over to the next meeting of the group. Alternatively, the relevant stakeholders can hold a breakout session if there is no need to involve the whole team, reporting back on their progress at the next executive meeting.
Can executive meeting agendas be flexible?
Whilst board meetings are more rigid in approach, an executive meeting can be flexible to include discussions on topics that arise within the meeting or any urgent issues that crop up.
How can you make sure the agenda is engaging and interactive for all attendees?
Make the agenda engaging and interactive by delivering it on your meeting management tool and attaching relevant documents and links to help members understand the topics and conduct their own research on them.
Conclusion
The executive meeting agenda template in this article will help you create a running order that allows your team to share their news, achievements and challenges with the group and discuss solutions and strategy in a creative and collaborative manner. Balancing the topics to be discussed and the areas to explore is made easier with a well-crafted, thought-through and effective meeting agenda.
iBabs’ meeting portal helps you run the entire meeting process in a smooth, professional and collaborative manner. It features agenda templates that allow you to create the running order for the meeting, attach documents and distribute to participants in minutes, rather than hours. They can review and make suggestions, which you can update immediately in the cloud. To see iBabs in action, request a demo for your business today.