Very few in a corporate environment look forward to meetings. One of the biggest reasons for this is that meetings can drag on much longer than they are supposed to. One of the best ways to prevent this is to use a meeting agenda. You can create one of these in no time by using a meeting agenda template for Google Docs to build the outline.
This guide will show you how to make your own agenda template and provide a few ready-to-use documents. Read on to find the right one for your business.
Table of Contents
What Is a Meeting Agenda?
In a meeting agenda, all the topics to be covered in a meeting are written. The primary purpose of a meeting agenda template is to provide an outline for the meeting attendees about the topics to be discussed during the session and how long they will be addressed.
Using a meeting agenda can be beneficial as it sets a time for each issue, increasing productivity and allowing you to cover more topics in the meeting.
Benefits of Using a Meeting Agenda Template for Google Docs
Related: Free Memo Templates for Google Docs
There are several benefits of using a meeting agenda. These include:
Encourages Participation
When employees have an outline of the meeting, they won’t hesitate to participate freely. With a meeting agenda, most people will focus on the topic. You can ask the attendees to suggest the topics in advance. Once you have all the ideas, you can review them and assign talking time to each topic.
This encourages participation as the employees will be eager to give their input and feel like a part of the discussion. This will prompt them to provide valuable information in the meeting, which saves it from feeling like a presentation rather than a meeting.
Keeps You on Track
A meeting agenda keeps you from going off track. Once you have listed all the topics you want to address, you can list the time during which you want to cover them. This keeps you from straying away from the topic and wasting time on unrelated topics. If you have already planned out the topics and the timeframes, the participants can adjust their talking time based on the provided timeframes.
Ensures All Topics Are Covered
When you cover all the topics in a single meeting, it saves you from the hassle of sending out emails reminding everyone of the topics that were left out of the meeting. It also reduces the number of meetings you have to conduct as you can cover all the topics in the same meeting. Most meeting organizers create an agenda a few days before the meeting, so there is a lot of time for you to add the topics you want to address to the meeting agenda.
Reduces Wasted Time
Office meetings are usually held to make important announcements or discuss any bigger problems faced by the team. All the critical points to be discussed are outlined when creating a meeting agenda. This saves valuable company time as the meetings are kept to the point and brief while covering all the mentioned topics.
Keeps Staff Up to Speed
Creating a meeting agenda keeps everyone up to speed as all the topics are listed in order, along with a timeframe for their discussion. This means that anyone joining the meeting after it has already started can simply look at the meeting agenda and know what topic is being discussed and the topics that will be discussed later on.
Related Reading: How to Create a Folder in Google Docs
How to Create a Meeting Agenda Template Docs
You can create your agenda template Docs by following a few simple steps. Here is how to do this:
- Open Google Docs on your browser and create a Blank document or head to Docs.New.
- Here, the first thing to do is to change the page setup. You can access this option by clicking on File in the main toolbar and then choosing the Page setup option.
- In the page setup window, select the Orientation. You can set it to either Portrait or Landscape, depending on your preference. Make sure you set the Margins to a lower number to allow more room to add the template elements. Also, make sure to choose the correct page size. Click on the blue OK button to save the changes.
- We suggest using tables to create the various sections of the meeting agenda template for Google Docs. To create a table, click on the Insert button in the main toolbar and then click on Table. Here, hover your cursor over the grid to select the number of columns and rows in the table and click on it.
- After the table is added, you can click and drag the cursor over the edges of the table to resize it. You can merge cells in a single line. To do this, click and drag across the cells and right-click on them. Here, select the Merge cells option.
- Start adding the text in the template according to your needs. You can change the text formatting using the options in the main toolbar.
- You can hide the lines in the table to make the table look cleaner. To do this, click anywhere inside the table and then on the Table options button in the main toolbar.
- Here, click and expand the Color options and click on the Table border width option. Change it to 0 pt to hide the lines.
Using a Sheets calendar template can help make your life a lot easier. Here are some of the best Sheets calendar templates for 2024.
Free Google Docs Meeting Agenda Templates
Simple Meeting Minutes Template Docs
This first meeting notes template Docs is very straightforward to use. It features a simple but visually appealing design, and the sections are appropriately divided. There are four sections in this meeting agenda Google Docs template.
The first one is at the top, and it includes the name of the company and the purpose of the meeting right below it. You can add the date, time, and location for the meeting in the line below. The second section in this template allows you to add the attendees. You can simply add the names of all the attendees here.
In the third section, you can add the time, topic, and any additional notes you want to add to the meeting. Finally, the fourth section allows you to add action items which are specific tasks that an individual or a smaller team must do.
Planning out your trip can be a stressful task. Here are 4 free Google Sheets itinerary templates to plan your trip.
Elegant Google Docs Meeting Minutes Template
This next Google Docs agenda template is great for use in meetings that require additional work before the meeting. The template features an elegant design and has four distinct sections.
In the first section, you can add the meeting name at the top and the date, location, start and end time in the first section. After that, you can add the goals for the meeting in the next section. In the next section, you can add any pre-work or assignments in the third section. You can replace this section to add attendee names or notes. The last section allows you to add the time and topic.
As this meeting template includes background designs, we don’t recommend using it if you want to print it in black and white, as that can affect the template’s design. We recommend using this template if you want to print in colored form or use it as PDF.
Templates remove the hassle of starting from zero. You can learn how to build a schedule template in Google Sheets by checking the linked article.
Professional Google Doc Agenda Template
This meeting agenda template for Docs is excellent for use in professional environments as it doesn’t have a lot of visual elements to distract the attendees, and it can be printed in black and white. Like the other agenda templates for Google Docs, this template is divided into four sections. The first section features three boxes where you can write the topic name, meeting time, and date.
The section below allows you to add the discussion topics and the times in the lines. You can check the boxes as the topics are covered. The section below allows you to write any additional notes. You can write other tasks and add the date in the columns below. In the last quarter, you can add a date and time for the next meeting.
The best part about using this template is that it is clean and friendly to use. You can edit it in Google Docs or Microsoft Word or write in it using a pen after you’re done printing it.
Project managers have to deal with a lot of work. Using a project management template can help you eliminate a lot of trouble. Here are 5 useful Google Sheets project management templates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google Docs Have an Agenda Template?
Google Docs doesn’t have a premade meeting agenda template, but you can use free third-party templates or create your own.
What Are Items You Should Always Include in a Meeting Agenda?
When creating a meeting agenda, clearly state the purpose of the meeting. Add an attendee list and action items. Make sure to add the topics to be discussed during the meeting and the time allotted for every topic.
Wrapping Up
If you found the perfect meeting agenda template for Google Docs in this article, you may also want to check out our premium templates. You can use the code SSP to save 50% when you buy anything from our paid template library.
Related:
- Google Docs Order Form Template Downloads
- Free Google Sheets Inventory Templates
- Free Business Card Templates for Google Docs
- How to Make a Flyer in Google Docs
- Free Ledger Templates in Google Sheets
- Download a Timeline Template for Google Docs
- Cover Letter Template for Google Docs
- Book Template for Google Docs
- Grocery List Templates for Google Sheets
