How do you avoid creating too many or too vague meeting action items?

Meetings are essential for collaboration, communication, and decision-making, but they can also be a source of frustration and confusion if the action items are not clear, concise, and actionable. Action items are the tasks or follow-ups that need to be done after a meeting, and they should be assigned to specific people, with deadlines and expectations. However, many meetings end up with too many or too vague action items, which can lead to wasted time, missed opportunities, and lack of accountability. In this article, you will learn how to avoid creating too many or too vague meeting action items, and how to use some tools and techniques to make them more effective.

1 Define the purpose and scope of the meeting

Before you schedule a meeting, you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and what topics you want to cover. This will help you set the agenda, invite the right people, and prepare the materials. It will also help you avoid adding unnecessary or irrelevant action items that are not aligned with the meeting's purpose and scope. You can use a simple template or a tool like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to define your meeting objectives and outcomes.

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Franziska Pugh

Creator Partnerships Manager
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In addition to defining clear goals and providing pre-read materials for stakeholders to react to, I speak with key participants prior to provide context and discuss the proposed agenda. In doing this, each participant gains a better understanding of their role in the meeting, the type of insights they are intended to offer, and can spend time considering the key decisions without being put on the spot.

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2 Assign roles and responsibilities

During the meeting, you should assign roles and responsibilities to the participants, such as facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper, and action item owner. This will help you keep the meeting on track, capture the key points and decisions, and delegate the action items to the appropriate people. You should also make sure that everyone understands their role and responsibility, and that they agree to take on the action items assigned to them. You can use a tool like RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify who does what and who needs to know what.

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Ruslan Halilov ðŸ”µ

Growing Bluedot â€” The most accurate AI notetaker. No bots.
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In my experience, assigning specific meeting participants to each action item helps prevent the creation of overly vague or numerous items. When individuals are directly responsible for certain tasks, they tend to ensure these tasks are well-defined and manageable in number.

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3 Use a standard format and language

After the meeting, you should use a standard format and language to document and communicate the action items. This will help you avoid ambiguity, confusion, and misunderstanding, and ensure that everyone knows what they need to do and when. You should include the following elements in your action items: the task description, the owner, the due date, the status, and the dependencies. You should also use clear, concise, and actionable language, and avoid vague terms like "look into", "discuss", or "consider". You can use a tool like SMART (again) or STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to write your action items.

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4 Review and prioritize the action items

Before you send out the meeting minutes or the action item list, you should review and prioritize the action items. This will help you eliminate any duplicates, errors, or inconsistencies, and focus on the most important and urgent tasks. You should also check if the action items are realistic, feasible, and relevant, and if they align with the meeting's purpose and scope. You can use a tool like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent/Important) to prioritize your action items.

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5 Track and follow up on the action items

After you send out the meeting minutes or the action item list, you should track and follow up on the action items. This will help you monitor the progress, identify any issues or delays, and provide feedback and support. You should also update the status, completion, and results of the action items, and communicate them to the relevant stakeholders. You can use a tool like Trello, Asana, or Google Sheets to track and follow up on your action items.

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6 Evaluate and improve the action item process

Finally, you should evaluate and improve the action item process. This will help you learn from your experience, identify any gaps or challenges, and implement any changes or improvements. You should solicit feedback from the participants, review the results and outcomes of the action items, and measure the impact and value of the meeting. You can use a tool like SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) or PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) to evaluate and improve your action item process.

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7 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that donâ€™t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you avoid creating too many or too vague meeting action items?

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1 Define the purpose and scope of the meeting

2 Assign roles and responsibilities

3 Use a standard format and language

4 Review and prioritize the action items

5 Track and follow up on the action items

6 Evaluate and improve the action item process

7 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

Meeting Planning

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