Including an outline in your Zoom meeting is an excellent method to maintain organization and direction in your online gathering. No matter if it’s a business meeting or a casual hangout with acquaintances, a written agenda informs all attendees of the topics that will be covered and aids in increasing efficiency. This article will walk you through the process of adding an agenda to your Zoom meeting and also offer some of my own tips and experiences.
Step 1: Creating your agenda
Before we jump into the technical details of adding an agenda to a Zoom meeting, let’s start by creating our agenda. As the meeting host, it’s essential to have a clear idea of what you want to cover. Take some time to jot down the main topics or points you’d like to discuss during the meeting. It’s helpful to prioritize the most important topics and estimate the time you want to allocate for each item.
My personal tip:
I find it helpful to structure my agenda in a logical order, starting with any time-sensitive or critical topics, followed by general updates or discussions. This way, participants can be prepared to address urgent matters first, and then move on to less pressing issues.
Step 2: Scheduling your Zoom meeting
Once you have your agenda ready, it’s time to schedule your Zoom meeting. Open the Zoom application on your desktop or mobile device and click on the “Schedule” button. Fill in the meeting details such as the date, time, and duration of the meeting. Be sure to add a relevant title and include any necessary instructions or information in the description field.
My personal tip:
When scheduling the meeting, I like to mention in the description that an agenda will be shared prior to the meeting. This sets the expectation for participants and encourages them to come prepared with any questions or contributions they may have.
Step 3: Sending out the agenda
Now that your Zoom meeting is scheduled, it’s time to share the agenda with your participants. There are a few different ways to do this:
- Attach the agenda to the email invitation: If you’re using email to invite participants to your Zoom meeting, you can simply attach the agenda document to the invitation. Be sure to highlight that the agenda is included and encourage participants to review it beforehand.
- Share the agenda via a cloud storage link: If you have the agenda stored on a cloud storage platform like Google Drive or Dropbox, you can generate a shareable link and include it in the meeting invitation. This allows participants to easily access the agenda without the need to download any files.
- Send the agenda separately: If you’ve already sent out the meeting invitation and forgot to include the agenda, or if you made any last-minute changes to the agenda, you can send it separately using the same communication method you used to invite participants.
My personal tip:
I prefer sharing the agenda using a cloud storage link because it provides flexibility and allows for real-time updates. If there are any changes or additions to the agenda, I can simply edit the document in the cloud and everyone with access to the link will automatically see the updated version.
Conclusion
Adding an agenda to your Zoom meeting is a simple yet effective way to ensure that discussions stay focused and everyone is on the same page. By taking the time to create an agenda and share it with your participants, you can create a more organized and productive virtual meeting experience. Remember to be proactive in sharing the agenda and encourage participants to come prepared. Happy meeting planning!