Meeting Agenda Prompts for Decisions and Clear Actions

INPUTS Purpose, participants, urgency and available material PROMPT I need to address [purpose] with [roles] by [date]. Material available: [notes]. Compare a meeting, a written update and a short asynchronous question. Explain which interaction each option requires and what could remain unresolved. Do not assume everyone is available or has authority to decide. Suggest the smallest useful format.

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Draft the asynchronous question if that option looks sufficient.

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Check who actually needs to participate and whether a response deadline is reasonable.

INPUTS Topic list, desired output and decision owner PROMPT Convert these meeting topics [topics] into specific questions. Desired output: [output]. Decision owner: [role]. For each, distinguish information to read beforehand, discussion needed and decision requested. Flag a question that cannot be answered with the available evidence [evidence]. Do not manufacture agreement.

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Choose one main question for a 25-minute session.

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A question should identify a decision or understanding the participants can realistically reach.

INPUTS Meeting duration, participants, questions and constraints PROMPT Build a [minutes]-minute agenda for [roles] around [questions]. Constraints: [constraints]. Allocate time for framing, evidence, discussion, decision and action review. Make the allocations add up to the actual duration. Mark optional items and say what should move outside the meeting if time is insufficient.

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Reduce this agenda by ten minutes without removing the closing review.

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Recalculate the times and leave room for the most important disagreement.

INPUTS Approved source notes, audience and required decision PROMPT Turn these approved notes [notes] into a short pre-read for [audience]. The decision needed is [decision]. Include context, options, evidence, unknowns and the question attendees should consider. Keep recommendations separate from confirmed facts. Do not add results, approvals or dates that the notes do not contain.

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List the three facts attendees need to understand before the call.

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Check source permissions and remove material that attendees are not authorised to receive.

INPUTS Options, criteria, known disagreement and roles PROMPT Plan how to discuss [options] when the disagreement is [issue]. Criteria: [criteria]. Participants: [roles]. Suggest neutral questions that surface evidence and trade-offs, plus a way to record unresolved points. Do not attribute motives or script a guaranteed consensus. Keep the facilitator’s role separate from the decision owner’s role.

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What question would test the main assumption on each side?

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Use language that lets people correct the description of their position.

INPUTS Current facts, dependencies, owners and available time PROMPT Create an agenda for a [minutes]-minute project check-in using [facts]. Include only progress that changes a dependency, risk or decision. Separate blockers, decisions needed and next checkpoints. Identify updates that can be sent beforehand. Treat owners and dates not present in the facts as to confirm.

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Which item needs a decision-maker who is not currently invited?

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Do not report a proposed deadline as an agreed delivery date.

INPUTS Draft agenda, likely outputs and team process PROMPT Add a closing action-review segment to this agenda [agenda]. Team process: [process]. Provide a note template for decision, rationale, action, proposed owner, confirmation needed and checkpoint. Keep unresolved questions in a separate section. Do not pre-fill outcomes before the meeting happens.

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How should the facilitator check that an action was actually accepted?

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Record acceptance accurately rather than interpreting silence as consent.

INPUTS Agenda, attendee list, purpose and preparation needs PROMPT Review [agenda] for [attendees] against [purpose]. Flag unclear outputs, too many items, missing preparation, unrealistic time allocations and decisions outside the group’s authority. Suggest edits with reasons. Produce a concise invitation draft that contains the goal and preparation request, but do not send it.

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Name one agenda item I can remove with the least effect on the goal.

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Verify the calendar details and preparation material before inviting people.