studentl.inc: Meeting Planner | Organizer | Worksheet

studentl.inc: Meeting Planner | Organizer | Worksheet

The student leaders that I work with often struggle to make the most of meeting times. They schedule meetings, attend meetings, and often participate in meetings. But when it comes to leading a meeting, they wonder how to be more effective.

I've created a one-page tool called the MPOW (meeting planner | organizer | worksheet). It provides our student leaders with a format to make the most of the meetings that they are in charge of.

The MPOW assists a leader in
...planning (thinking about what needs to happen before the meeting),
...organizing (thinking about what needs to happen during the meeting),
...and work that needs to be done (thinking about what needs to happen after the meeting).

The six sections of the MPOW are:

1. Meeting Purpose - This helps the student leader identify the answer to the question: "Why do we need to have this meeting?" If one can't define the purpose, one shouldn't be calling a meeting.
2. Meeting Preparation - There are certain things that must be in place as one gets ready for a meeting. This section helps the student leader to make sure that he or she is ready to go once the meeting is called to order.
3. Meeting Agenda - The agenda is importantMeeting_organizer because it keeps the group focused on the important topics. This section includes an area for the leader to check off if the item was discussed, a decision was made, or the item was delayed for another time.
4. Meeting Action Items - This is the most important part of the meeting. The items that are discussed will usually result in some type of work that needs to be done. In this section, the student leader will record action items, the people that the work is assigned to, and a deadline that the work needs to be accomplished.
5. Meeting Follow-up - After a meeting, the student leader should be aware of the next steps. This section will guide the student leader in the need to follow-up certain activities or with certain people.
6. Meeting Notes - This is a generic space for the student leader to record thoughts, ideas, and reminders from the meeting time.

The MPOW is an 8.5"x11" form that is available as a pdf download. If you find this form useful, please let me know. Also, it is a work in progress, so any feedback is always welcome.

Download MPOW 1.5 here