Meeting Agenda Prompt Templates

Agenda (45 min):
1. New team member intro (5 min) - Quick hello, background, what they'll be working on. Move first so they're not waiting.
2. Sprint progress (10 min) - Each person: one sentence on status, any risks. No close looks.
3. API integration blocker (15 min) - Decision needed: Do we wait for vendor fix or build workaround? Come prepared with options.
4. Launch timeline (10 min) - Question: Are we confident in the date or do we need to adjust? Surface concerns now.
5. Buffer/wrap-up (5 min)

Flag: Standup format feedback doesn't fit. Send async survey instead or schedule separate 15-min discussion. Trying to do it here will run over.

Structure for 30 min:

Open (5 min): Start with her priorities. Ask 'What's on your mind?' or 'Anything urgent we should cover first?' This shows respect for her time and surfaces anything you didn't anticipate.

Your topics (15 min):
- Project X feedback: 'I'd value your feedback on how project X is going. What's working? What should I do differently?' Be specific if you want specific feedback.
- Leadership interest: 'I've been thinking about taking on more leadership. Are there opportunities you see, or skills I should develop first?' Frame as asking for guidance, not demanding a promotion.

Alignment (5 min): Status update on deadline if she doesn't bring it up. If reorg comes up, ask 'How does this affect our team?' and 'Is there anything I should be doing differently?'

Close (5 min): 'What's the one thing I can do to help you this week?'

Note: Don't skip asking for feedback just because things feel fine. Managers appreciate proactive check-ins.

Pre-meeting prep (send 48 hours ahead):
- Sales: Top 5 must-have features ranked, which vendor meets them
- Finance: TCO comparison for 3-year period including implementation
- IT: Integration complexity assessment for each, support quality notes
- CEO: Strategic priorities for sales org next 2 years

Meeting agenda (60 min):
1. Align on decision criteria (10 min) - Before debating vendors, agree on what matters most. Propose: features fit (40%), cost (30%), implementation risk (20%), vendor stability (10%). Adjust as needed.

2. Quick vendor overview (15 min) - 5 min each. Facts only, not opinions yet. IT presents integration, Finance presents cost, Sales presents feature fit.

3. Discussion against criteria (20 min) - Score each vendor against criteria. Surface disagreements explicitly.

4. Decision (10 min) - If consensus, confirm. If not, CEO makes the call. We leave with a decision, not 'let's think about it more.'

5. Next steps (5 min) - Who owns implementation kickoff? Timeline?

Ground rule: No new information in the meeting. If someone brings a surprise, we table the decision.

Pre-work (send 24 hours ahead): Each person writes 3 ideas before the meeting. No judging, just get them out. This prevents blank-slate paralysis and reduces groupthink.

Session format:

1. Context setting (5 min) - Share current completion rate, where drop-off happens, 2-3 customer quotes about friction. Everyone starts with the same facts.

2. Silent idea generation (10 min) - Everyone adds sticky notes (virtual or physical). No discussion. Include the 3 pre-work ideas plus anything new. Aim for quantity over quality.

3. Clustering (10 min) - Group similar ideas. Name each cluster. Still no judging, just organizing.

4. Dot voting (5 min) - Each person gets 3 votes. Vote for ideas you think have the most potential. Can put multiple votes on one idea.

5. Discussion of top ideas (25 min) - Take top 3-5 voted ideas. For each: 'What would make this work?' not 'Why won't this work?' Customer success rep shares if they've heard similar suggestions from users.

6. Capture and next steps (5 min) - Document all ideas (even unvoted ones). Assign someone to write up top ideas with rough scope for follow-up.

Facilitator notes: Your job is to protect quiet voices. If someone hasn't spoken, ask them directly. Stop anyone who starts critiquing during idea generation.