Agenda (meeting)

An agenda is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be taken up, by beginning with the call to order and ending with adjournment. It usually includes one or more specific items of business to be discussed. It may, but is not required to, include specific times for one or more activities. An agenda may also be called a docket.

Etymology

Agenda is an abbreviation of agenda sunt or agendum est, gerundive forms in plural and singular respectively of the Latin verb ago, egeri, egi, actum "to drive on, set in motion", for example of cattle. The meaning is "(those things/that thing) which must be driven forward". What is now known in English as an agenda is a list of individual items which must be "acted upon" or processed, most usually those matters which must be discussed at a business meeting. Although the Latin word is in a plural form, as a borrowed word in English the word is singular, and has a plural of "agendas". (See also: Memorandum, Addenda, Corrigenda)

Explanation

In business meetings of deliberative bodies, the agenda may also be known as the orders of the day. The agenda is usually distributed to a meeting's participants prior to the meeting, so that they will be aware of the subjects to be discussed, and are able to prepare for the meeting accordingly.

In parliamentary procedure, an agenda is not binding upon an assembly unless its own rules make it so, or unless it has been adopted as the agenda for the meeting by majority vote at the start of the meeting. Otherwise, it is merely for the guidance of the chair.

If an agenda is binding upon an assembly, and a specific time is listed for an item, that item cannot be taken up before that time, and must be taken up when that time arrives even if other business is pending. If it is desired to do otherwise, the rules can be suspended for that purpose.

Typical layout of an agenda

The agenda is usually headed with the date, time and location of the meeting, followed by a series of points outlining the order of the meeting.

Points on a typical agenda may include:

• Welcome/open meeting
• Apologies for absence
• Approve minutes of the previous meeting
• Matters arising from the previous meeting
• A list of specific points to be discussed — this section is where the bulk of the discussion as well as decisions in the meeting usually takes place
• Any other business (AOB) — allowing a participant to raise another point for discussion.
• Arrange/announce details of next meeting
• Close meeting