Agenda (meeting)

Agenda (meeting)

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

Etymology

Originally "agenda" was a plural word, a Latin term for "things [needing] to be done". What is now known as an "agenda" is a list of individual items, each of which was originally referred to as an "agendum". In modern English, however, it is equally acceptable, and more common, to refer to the list as a whole as the "agenda" for the meeting. This modern English word is singular, and has a plural of "agendas".

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.

Form of 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
* Support 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 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
* Tea and biscuits
* Close meeting


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Agenda — may refer to: * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed; sometimes refers to the list of topics itself * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group; also used as above, the topics under discussion by a government * Lotus Agenda,… …   Wikipedia

  • agenda — a‧gen‧da [əˈdʒendə] noun [countable] 1. a list of the subjects to be discussed at a meeting: • What s the first item on the agenda? • High on the agenda of today’s meeting of the G8 is global warming. 2. a list of things that someone considers… …   Financial and business terms

  • meeting — meet‧ing [ˈmiːtɪŋ] noun [countable] an event at which people meet to talk and decide things: • We had a meeting yesterday to discuss progress. • It was decided to hold a shareholders meeting later this month. • Two of the directors refused to… …   Financial and business terms

  • Agenda-setting theory — states that the news media have a large influence on audiences, in terms of what stories to consider newsworthy and how much prominence and space to give them.[1] Agenda setting theory’s main postulate is salience transfer. Salience transfer is… …   Wikipedia

  • agenda — 1. The essential plurality of this word (= things to be done) has been worn to extinction by usage. Its dominant sense now is ‘a list of items of business to be considered at a meeting, etc.’ and it is often used in extended or figurative… …   Modern English usage

  • agenda — ([.a]*j[e^]n d[.a]), n. a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to. Syn: docket, schedule [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] 2. A list of matters to be discussed (as at a meeting). Syn: agendum, docket, order of business [WordNet 1.5] 3. A motive… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • agenda — (n.) 1650s, from L. agenda, lit. things to be done, neuter plural of agendus, gerundive of agere to do (see ACT (Cf. act) (n.)). Originally theological (opposed to matters of belief), sense of items of business to be done at a meeting first… …   Etymology dictionary

  • agenda — ► NOUN 1) a list of items of business to be discussed at a meeting. 2) a list of matters to be addressed. ORIGIN Latin, things to be done …   English terms dictionary

  • agenda — [ə jen′də] n. pl. agendas [L, neut. pl. of agendum, ger. of agere, ACT1] program of things to be done; specif., a list of things to be dealt with at a meeting …   English World dictionary

  • agenda — 01. Can I add something to our [agenda] for tomorrow s meeting? 02. Looking at the [agenda], I d say it ll probably be a long meeting. 03. So, what s on your [agenda] for the kids today? 04. The Reform Party doesn t seem to have any real… …   Grammatical examples in English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”