Although meetings are integral to a company, there are many executives and employees who complain about their length being sometimes excessive. In January, a study conducted by Doodle[^1]  revealed that Swiss employees spent an average of 5 hours per week in meetings. So how can you improve the efficiency of meetings? 

An endless meeting is often the result of poor preparation. To save time during a meeting, there are a few steps that should not be neglected. The moderator, as well as the attendees, must contribute to the elaboration of the meeting in order to plan its frame and progress. The meeting agenda, which represents the discussion thread, needs to be established according to the goals of the meeting in order to stay focused. This will help employees progress efficiently without wasting time. 

## Before the meeting – a collective preparation 

### Ask yourself the right questions and set clear goals

> _According to the survey on meetings presented by Doodle, 72% of the interviewed employees think that a good meeting goes through clearly set goals!_

Before scheduling a meeting, key questions need to be addressed: 

**What is the purpose of the meeting?** The outcome of the meeting will serve as a guideline. This preliminary question will allow you to highlight the interest of the meeting for the attendees. 

**What are the main topics to address?** The following step is to define the topics to be addressed during the meeting to achieve the desired goal. These topics will be the items of the meeting agenda.

**Who are the people involved?** A meeting with a large number of presenters is likely to drag on. It is therefore important to gather only those who are directly involved in the topics, decisions and tasks to be performed. 

**What is the estimated time for the meeting?**  According to the number of topics to be addressed, try to estimate and set the duration of the meeting and stick to it on the day of the meeting.

### Establish an organized and clear meeting agenda

> _According to the survey on meetings presented by Doodle, 67% of the interviewed employees think that a good meeting goes through a clearly established meeting agenda._

**List the different items in the meeting agenda >**  A meeting agenda consists of a list of items that resume the topics to be covered during the meeting. The establishment of a precise meeting agenda will ensure efficiency and rapidity during the meeting and will thus avoid unnecessary digressions and off-topic debates. Depending on the topics to be addressed, you can build the frame of the meeting by choosing, for example, a list of points hierarchized in different levels (ex: 1., 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,). If this organization does not seem relevant to you, you can try to group the items to address according to criteria that makes sense regarding the type of meeting: _departments or services concerned, addressed topics, topics ordered according to the interventions of different presenters, steps of the project to realize,_ etc.

**Define the role of the presenters >**  Depending on the established items, define who will speak during the meeting. In order to avoid taking attendees by surprise, schedule each person’s interventions ahead of time according to the meeting agenda. This will encourage them to prepare the meeting and will improve the efficiency and length of the discussions.

**Make the meeting agenda accessible to allow attendees to consult it >** Once the meeting agenda has been established, make sure to share it with all the attendees a few days before the meeting. A good preparation of the different interventions will contribute positively to the smooth running of the meeting. Furthermore, a previously established meeting agenda is likely to ensure a well-organized and productive meeting. The attendees will feel concerned and will not have the impression that the upcoming meeting will be wasting their valuable time.

## During the meeting – the roles of the meeting moderator and the drafter

### Progress according to the set order 

On the day of the meeting, keep the goal of the meeting in mind. The moderator of the meeting is responsible for its smooth running and must avoid any misplacements by following rigorously the pre-established meeting agenda. This will avoid the attendees to feel lost and they will be able to follow the discussions by referring to the common frame previously diffused. 

### Address the covered topics in a systematic way

The moderator of the meeting must try to facilitate the task of the meeting minutes drafter by being clear and rigorous in the way he conducts the meeting. By discussing each item of the meeting agenda in a systematic way, you will ensure a productive meeting and meeting minutes drafting while avoiding wasting time. But how can you discuss the various items of the meeting agenda in a systematic way? 

Here is a solution that considers the discussion of each item of the meeting agenda following three steps that will come out as three separate blocks of information in the meeting minutes: 

**Step 1 – the minutes of the discussions:** Every topic covered in a meeting generally leads to a discussion that will need to be transcribed in the meeting minutes > _this constitutes the first block of information of the discussed item._

**Step 2 – the result of the discussions:** The decisions and high points of the preliminary discussions should be highlighted > _this constitutes the second block of information of the discussed item._ Many employees often complain about leaving a meeting without really knowing which major decisions were made. Highlighting them will avoid that kind of uncomfortable feeling.

**Step 3 – tasks arising from the decisions:** The attendees will have to perform various tasks to reach the set goals > _this constitutes the last block of information of the discussed item._ Thanks to a clear division of tasks to perform, the attendees will be operational as soon as the meeting ends. This will avoid people forgetting what they are supposed to do from a meeting to the next. 

This method will encourage you to proceed in an efficient manner and will facilitate the drafting of the meeting minutes. Furthermore, when the attendees will have to review the meeting minutes, they will easily obtain the necessary information. Needless to say, certain items will not require such a structure and can therefore be covered far more quickly – for example by using only one of the three proposed blocks of information. 

In summary, the success of a company meeting is largely dependent on its preparation. By focusing on clearly set goals and on a clear meeting agenda, you will necessarily limit the length of your meetings and thus keep the attendees active and concerned. Establishing a meeting agenda can sometimes seem tedious. The trick is to create a meeting agenda template according to the different meetings that you conduct. This way, from one meeting to the next, you will only have to make a few changes to the template of the previous meeting agenda for the upcoming meeting, without having to create a new one each time. 

Do you want to facilitate the preparation and conduct of your meetings?

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

[^1]: To carry out the study in question, more than 6’500 professionals from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the United States were interviewed. 

Do your company meetings tend to drag on? In this article you will find a few tips to limit their duration! 

This image introduces tips on how to keep business meetings short, illustrated with a stopwatch showing 25 minutes

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How to limit the duration of a meeting?

## Table of contents

The table of contents facilitates the browsing through the meeting minutes. Furthermore, a single click will bring you to the item to be treated. From the table of contents, you can also:

* Decrease the indentation of an item
* Increase the indentation of an item
* Delete an item
* Drag and drop the items and/or sub-items to organize them

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive1_c190e8d7b5.png)

## Item by item

For this new version, the drafting has been redesigned: from now on, only the item to be treated will appear on the screen. Once you are done with an item, you just need to click the button with the title of the next item to be treated to progress in the drafting. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive2_2_d8f1773246.png)

## Redesigned Toolbar 

Each item and sub-item has its own Toolbar. From the **\+ button** you can:

* Attach a file
* Add a note
* Add a decision
* Create a task
* Add a sub-item to the meeting agenda
* Import tasks from the workspace

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive3_3_e41bc9c72a.png)

## The “move” button 

It is now possible to move a note, a decision, a task or a file to another item in the meeting agenda. Click the button with the **three vertical points** (1) and **Move the note** (2). A window will open with all the possible destinations. Click the item to which you wish to move your note (3). The same procedure applies to move a decision, a task or a file.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive4_3_7828884129.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive5_1_68b88ca912.png)

## The pending tasks box 

Pending tasks from the workspace are now available in a box that you can access with a button. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive6_8c12348415.png)

From the pending tasks box, it is possible to import tasks into a specific item: click the tasks to import (1) and, with the drop-down list, select the item in which you want to import the tasks (2). Then, click **Import** (3).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive7_6e99b65c52.png)

_Info : if you would like your pending tasks to figure as an item in your meeting agenda, like in the previous version, you can simply create an item entitled “Pending tasks” and import all the pending tasks from the workspace._ 

## The 5 steps of the meeting

At all times, you can see which step of the meeting you are in. The user with all access rights can click on each step to change the status of the meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive8_3f51cf7d39.png)

_Info : other buttons at the bottom of the page also allow you to switch from step to step._ 

## Display of access rights of each attendee

You can now click on the attendees of a meeting to see the distribution of access rights. Click on the attendees (1), a window will open with a list of the meeting attendees and their access rights for the current meeting (2). 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive14_c86280b5bd.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive15_07a2d15e76.png)

This can be useful if you need to modify meeting minutes but you do not have the appropriate access rights. You can then spot the attendees who have full access rights on that meeting, who will be able to change your access rights. Attendees with full access rights are represented by a logo with a crown on a blue background. 

\-

A collection of articles explains all the ins and outs of the new Meetings module.

::button-primary[Access the Help Center]{link="https://help.wedo.swiss/en/collections/3202989-meetings"}

The new version of WEDO revises the meeting module to simplify the drafting of the meeting minutes. With this article, discover the improvements this update offers!

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Meeting module : improvements that will facilitate the drafting of your meeting minutes

## Rights management

When you add a meeting, a new column named _Access_ will appear in the list of attendees:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2018_10_diapositive3_1_e1540988841560_7892e6806d.png)

For each attendee, you can choose among 5 options:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive2_1_7db5b841f2.png)

## 5 steps of a meeting

The five steps that structure the creation of a meeting have been improved and are as follows: 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive3_1_24da19b2f6.png)

Please note that changing the status of a meeting (i.e. moving from a step to another) has an impact on who can edit what. For example: an attendee who has the right to modify and add agenda items will be able to do so until the meeting agenda is validated. Only an attendee with full access rights, represented by the logo with a crown on a blue background, can modify the status of the meeting. 

## Rights according to the step

Below is a table summarizing the accesses that allow to modify the elements according to the step in which the meeting is

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive4_1_37b3ec51c1.png)

## 5 steps of a meeting

In previous versions, when the meeting was ended the information and decisions could still be edited but not the tasks. This feature has been improved in the current version. All information can still be edited in step 4/5: _meeting minutes in review_ until the moment the meeting minutes will be locked in step 5/5.

## Save changes made to tasks 

The tasks can be updated in the meeting minutes as long as they are not locked, i.e. until step 4/5\. We recommend you to systematically lock the meeting minutes once they have been reviewed and approved. 

## Periodic report

We have added to this version a periodic report which will be sent to you by email. By default, you will receive a weekly report every Monday morning.

To modify this parameter and manage the frequency of the periodic report, go to your _User profile > Settings > Notifications > Periodic report._

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2018_10_diapositive4_1_e1540988863763_d82e3149cb.png)

## For you to discover in this new version

* New tile design for the workspaces, checklist templates, checklists and meetings.
* The tile menu has moved from the action bar directly on the tile itself to improve the user experience.
* Improvement of certain texts to clarify the interface (for instance, for the importation of a previous meeting agenda).
* Synchronization options with the calendar have been improved.

The new version of WEDO integrates various new features such as rights management during meetings.

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## WEDO SARL, THE SWISS MADE COLLABORATIVE TOOL

WEDO Sàrl is a project of David Dutch and Antoine Sudan, two engineers and childhood friends from Fribourg. WEDO is a collaborative tool created in 2015 and supported by Fri Up. It is used to manage tasks, meetings and team projects. The vision of the two engineers was to simplify communication within a company and to revolutionize collaboration among professionals!

## THE BIRTH OF A 100% SWISS START-UP

As an employee of a company, everyone is confronted with different communication channels: minutes, procedures, documents, emails, charts, phone calls or checklists. Keeping a clear vision on the tasks to perform and their deadlines is not always easy. 

In 2015, David Dutch and Antoine Sudan decided to meet several managers of different companies to discover their ways of managing tasks, meetings and projects. It is thanks to the precious testimonies of more than 300 professionals that the two engineers were able to develop their platform. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2017_07_stemutz_photo_fri_up_we_do_web_imh_8113_1024x683_b61624ecbc.jpg)

Unlike different tools available online, WEDO is adapted to the needs of Swiss companies. 

> Collaborate with ease 

All data are hosted in Switzerland. The application is highly secure and user-friendly, to ensure an easy networking between employees. 

## TOOLS AT THE SERVICE OF COMPANIES

The return on investment of the use of WEDO is rapid. For example, the drafting of meeting minutes via WEDO will save you up to one hour per meeting, in comparison with standard ways of drafting meeting minutes. Furthermore, the traceability proposed by the application allows you to follow up with the decisions made during the execution of a task on the field. 

Our current customers come from different fields: administrations, municipalities, nursing homes, and banks. Dedicated features allow them to follow existing processes, such as the writing of meeting minutes or the creation of checklists for the monitoring of administrative procedures. Collaborative tools are undoubtedly the future of communication systems for businesses. It is thanks to the suggestions by our customers that WEDO adapts to the needs of companies. The goal is to see WEDO become the collaborative reference tool in Switzerland. 

Photo : © Stéphane Schmutz / STEMUTZ.COM / Source : 
[Original article in ECHO](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/article_wedo_echo_2017_06_26_65e15d8fde.pdf)

An article about WEDO published in Echo, the magazine by CCIF. (June 2017 / N° 3). 

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ECHO (CCIF)

## "A simple, intuitive and user-friendly tool."

Launched by David Dutch and Antoine Sudan, WEDO is a 100% Swiss collaborative tool for companies of all sizes. Available in French, German and English, the platform allows employees to network in the management of their tasks, meetings and projects. Followed by Fri Up for almost a year, the start-up has the ambition to become a national reference.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2016_10_stemutz_photo_fri_up_we_do_web_imh_8113_caa4d3eb64.jpg)
![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2016_10_stemutz_photo_fri_up_we_do_web_imh_8139_4925e1d403.jpg)

## How did you meet and when did the idea of a joint project arise?

Antoine: "We met on the train in 2003 when we were on our way to the Technical Professional Maturity Course (EPSIC). A good alchemy quickly set in, as did the idea of creating our own company to combine our skills. After studying engineering, we each worked on our own, maintaining special bonds of friendship. It was an important step to gain experience and mature our project."

David: "We launched WEDO when we realized the need to develop a collaborative tool to centralize a company's information and network its employees in the management of their tasks, sessions and projects."

## Many tools exist on the market in project management. How does your product stand out?

Antoine: "First of all, we conducted interviews with some 300 company directors with between 5 and 4,500 employees, with the aim of understanding their organisations and their needs in order to develop our tool. On this basis, we built the WEDO platform. It allows prioritizing, planning, delegating and classifying tasks, while offering a global vision to each employee on all his tasks, the progress of the tasks he has delegated to his colleagues and the person responsible for each activity within a project. Communication between collaborators is then managed in the form of tasks that include a comment system. History is recorded to keep track of activities."

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2016_10_montage_fr_1024x614_9a5a620c62.png)

## What is the first feedback you have received from users?

David: "All of our customers mention the simplicity, ergonomics and user-friendliness of the tool. We remain very attentive to the users' needs. They provide us with valuable information in the optimization of our solution and the development, if necessary, of new functionalities. In the long term, we want to become a Swiss reference in collaborative tools for companies".

## How did you get to the North Incubator?

Antoine: "Pierre-André Arm, director of COREB, has become a WEDO customer. He then suggested that we contact Fri Up. And last November, we got our sesame for a coaching from the Association and accommodation at the North Incubator in Morat.

David: "Our coach, Markus Ith, helped us with administrative aspects such as insurance and accounting. Today, he mainly follows our dashboards and puts us in touch with prospects."

\--

Interview by Véronique Grady / Source:
[Original article from the info patronale](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/article_wedo_info_patronale_2016_10_a72296cd65.pdf)

An article on WEDO published in October 2016 in the "info patronale" business news

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Info Patronale

This article explains how to use WEDO to follow up a meeting. The main advantages of the dynamic debriefing possible with WEDO are the following:

* Clear list of outstanding issues
* Definition of meeting responsibilities
* Employees receive their tasks directly
* No clean-up work after the meeting
* Better communication of expectations and timelines
* Simplified tracking of tasks from one week to the next

## Create a topic: name, members, color (to be done only once)

In the left menu, click **Topics**. Then, in the action bar, click **\+ Create Topic**. Choose a name and a definition for your topic and then click **Save and continue**.

Define the members who will have access to this topic. Note that you can invite people from outside your company via email address. Click **Continue**.

Finally, choose a colour for your subject. Tip: choose a colour code (meeting in blue, project in red, internal department in green, etc.). Click **Go to topic**.

As an example, I choose to create a _weekly meeting_ topic.

## List the tasks discussed in the meeting

You can now enter all the tasks discussed at the meeting directly in the Weekly Meeting topic. Here's a preview of my example:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive1_ea8637b2ca.png)

## Define who is responsible

In the action bar, click on the **Organize** button then choose **Delegate**. The next window opens to choose a person in charge for each task:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive2_e1541093360187_f6d9c3fc68.png)

## Setting priorities

In the same way, click on the **Organize** button and choose **Prioritize**. The following window opens to choose a priority for each task:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive3_e1541093385814_1024x445_72d5dd23aa.png)

## Add tasks before the meeting to be ready

Before a meeting, ask each participant to list the points to be discussed in the topic. This will help to prepare a focused agenda and start the meeting on a good footing.

## Keep track of tasks from one meeting to the next

All tasks delegated in the meeting are automatically sent to the right people. Each person in charge will be able to view what has been assigned to him/her in his/her task list. Everyone will also be able to see the progress of tasks at any time of the week by going to the Weekly Meeting topic. Here is the list of pending tasks with responsibilities and priorities.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive4_a5e9c42511.png)

Validated tasks are automatically archived to keep historical records.

## To go a little further

### Add Comments

If a comment is made at the meeting in relation to a task, you can enter it in its detail pane. This comment will remain linked to the task, allowing you to keep track of the discussion history.

### Setting deadlines

Like comments, you can add a due date to a task in its detail pane.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive5_e1541093406283_7111290320.png)

## Export a report in PDF

If you need to export a report (to archive it or send it by email), click in the action bar on the **Export** button.

Choose the information to display and click **Generate File**.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_11_diapositive6_e1541093423403_d07ca73458.png)

## Conclusion

Thanks to WEDO, many companies are successfully using dynamic reporting. This approach allows employees to know their responsibilities as they leave the meeting and to control their deadlines more easily. Communication between employees is also strengthened by sharing tasks for a defined group.

Find out how WEDO can help you save more than an hour of work per meeting.

People seated around a meeting table listening to a woman standing and leaning on the table, overlaid with the text “WEDO for meeting follow-up” and “Use case”

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WEDO for the follow-up of a meeting

With the new version coming online today, WEDO allows you to synchronize your tasks with a deadline with Outlook, Gmail and iCal calendars, as well as all other calendars. 

Two synchronization modes are possible:

* Synchronization of all your tasks
* Synchronization of your tasks by subject

## Synchronization of all your tasks

To synchronize all your tasks with your calendar, go to your _Profile > Settings > Calendar Sync tab._ 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2016_06_calendar_sync_dee44cf046.png)

If you work with Outlook, click on the “webcals” link. For other calendars, you can copy the link suggested under the Google Calendar title and add it according to the explanation provided by WEDO. 

## Synchronization of tasks by subject

To synchronize tasks by subject, go to the desired subject. Then select Calendar Sync. Follow the same procedure as explained above. 

## Conclusion

Thanks to the calendar synchronization, you will not miss any deadline. Feel free to request a trial period if you wish to be part of the adventure. WEDO offers a free trial period for a team for 30 days. 

WEDO allows you to synchronize your tasks with a deadline with Outlook, Gmail and iCal calendars, as well as all other calendars. 

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Every day, we juggle a series of tasks, from answering emails and attending meetings all the way to cooking dinner or finally folding that pile of laundry staring us down for days. Task management is everywhere around us, whether we realize it or not. 

But here's the catch: managing tasks is more than checking boxes. It's making sure the right boxes are checked at the right time, by the right people.

For individuals, good task management can mean less stress and more time to spend on what matters most to them. For teams and organizations, it's the difference between controlled chaos and seamless collaboration. When done well, task management becomes a superpower, moving businesses toward growth and ensuring projects are delivered on time (and with fewer sleepless nights).

In this guide, we're going to explore strategies, tools, and best practices that turn task management into a fine-tuned system. Whether you're wrangling your own to-do list or leading a team toward big goals, this can be your roadmap to staying on top of your game. 

Let's get started!


The Ultimate Guide to Task Management: Strategies, Tools, and Best Practices

If your meetings are dragging or worse, ending with more confusion than clarity, the problem probably started before anyone joined the call. Most teams don’t struggle with talking. They struggle with focus. And that starts with how you plan the meeting.

An effective meeting agenda is what keeps the conversation on track, the goals in sight, and the meeting time under control. Without it, you’re relying on memory, improvisation, and hope.

In this post, we’re breaking down how to create an agenda that works. Not one that just fills space, but one that drives outcomes. You’ll learn how to define your purpose, choose the right amount of time, structure discussion points, and set your team up for real progress.

## What Is a Meeting Agenda, Really?

Before we move forward, let’s clarify what the meeting agenda even is. A meeting agenda outlines what you’re going to talk about, in what order, and how much time you’ll spend on each topic. But more than that, it’s a tool for making meetings intentional.

At its best, a meeting agenda does three things:

- **Clarifies the purpose** of the meeting
- **Guides the discussion** so people stay on topic
- **Keeps the meeting time in check**

It also gives everyone a chance to prepare, so you're not spending half the call just getting people up to speed. Whether it’s two bullet points or a fully structured outline, a meeting agenda should help your team move forward, not just fill the hour.

![Infographic titled “What to Include in a Productive Meeting Agenda.” Lists six elements: purpose, items with outcomes, time estimates, item owners, facilitator role, and prep/documents.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/what_to_include_in_a_productive_meeting_agenda_en_0a88ad8f42.png)

## Define the Purpose Before You Write a Word

No agenda should start with “what should we talk about?” It should start with why you’re meeting in the first place.

That purpose is the anchor. It’s what helps you decide who to invite, what to include, and how to guide the discussion. A vague goal like “check in on progress” doesn’t give anyone a reason to show up prepared. A clear purpose like “agree on final pricing structure for Q3 launch” tells everyone what the finish line looks like.

If you can’t define the goal, don’t create the agenda, cancel the meeting. That’s not a failure. It’s a time-saving win. So before you even think about listing topics, write down the outcome you’re aiming for. Then build everything else around it.

## Align the Agenda with the Meeting Type

Not every meeting needs a ten-point plan. Some need structure. Others need space. The key is knowing the difference.

Before you create an agenda, take a step back and ask: **What kind of meeting is this?**

A quick check-in? A decision-making session? A team-wide deep dive? Each of these requires a different level of detail, pacing, and time commitment. Cramming the same structure into every format is how short meetings turn long, and long meetings turn painful.

For example:

- **One-on-ones** work best with a few open-ended prompts and room for discussion.
- **Project reviews** need clearly defined talking points and time frames.
- **Brainstorming sessions** should include guardrails but leave flexibility for idea flow.
- **Decision-focused meetings** benefit from a tight agenda that outlines key questions, owners, and expectations.

A productive meeting agenda doesn’t just list topics, but matches the format to the purpose and fits within a realistic amount of time. If the structure doesn’t support the outcome, the meeting won’t either.

## Break Down Topics into Actionable Segments

A list of discussion topics isn’t a meeting agenda. Not a useful one, anyway.

If you want your meetings to stay focused and lead to real outcomes, each item on the agenda needs to be actionable. That means going beyond labels like “budget,” “product update,” or “customer feedback.” Those are categories, not direction.

Start by reworking broad topics into clear, outcome-driven prompts. For example:

- Instead of **“budget,”** write **“Finalize Q3 campaign allocations”**
- Instead of **“product update,”** use **“Decide whether feature X is ready for rollout”**
- Instead of **“customer feedback,”** try **“Identify top 3 issues from support tickets to prioritize next sprint”**

This shift does two things:

1. It gives participants a clear sense of what they’re expected to weigh in on.
2. It makes it easier to tell when the discussion is finished, because there’s a decision, answer, or action coming out of it.

Framing your agenda around prompts like “What do we need to decide?” or “What’s blocking us from moving forward?” turns your meeting into a working session, not a wandering conversation. And if a topic doesn’t have a clear outcome? It probably doesn’t belong on the agenda. At least not this time.

A good rule of thumb: If you’re adding an item to the meeting agenda, ask yourself what needs to happen as a result of talking about it. If there’s no clear answer, it might not belong in the meeting.

## Estimate Time Frames Thoughtfully

Time is one of the easiest things to mismanage in a meeting and one of the hardest to get back once it's gone. That’s why assigning time frames to each agenda item matters.

You don’t need to calculate down to the minute, but every agenda should include a realistic estimate of how long each item will take. This keeps the conversation moving and helps prevent less important topics from eating up the entire meeting.

Start with a rough total: How much meeting time do you actually have? Then, break it down by priority. High-impact items, like key decisions or blockers, should go earlier in the agenda and be given enough breathing room. Informational updates or less urgent items can come later and be time-boxed more tightly.

For example:

- 5 minutes: Quick status update
- 20 minutes: Discuss launch blockers and assign owners
- 10 minutes: Align on messaging changes for the sales deck
- 5 minutes: Review next steps and assign action items

It’s also smart to build in a small buffer at the end. That way, if a discussion runs long, you don’t lose the final five minutes that should’ve gone to confirming who’s doing what. Being deliberate about time shows respect for your team’s schedule and forces you to clarify priorities, which leads to [more productive meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings), even when time is short.

## Assign Roles and Owners Before the Meeting Starts

Every agenda item should have a clear owner. This doesn’t mean one person has to do all the talking, but someone should be responsible for introducing the topic, sharing any necessary context, and guiding that part of the discussion. Without ownership, conversations tend to stall or drift.

Clarify this before the meeting begins:

- Who’s leading each topic?
- Who’s taking notes?
- Who’s responsible for capturing action items and decisions?

Assigning roles doesn’t need to be complicated. In small, recurring meetings, it may be the same person every time. In larger or cross-functional sessions, it helps to rotate responsibilities or assign based on who brings the most context.

You’ll also want to identify a facilitator. Their job is to keep the agenda on track, manage the flow of conversation, and step in if time runs over or discussion gets stuck. In some cases, this will be the meeting organizer. In others, it may be a neutral lead who can keep things focused.

When people know what they’re responsible for going in, they show up prepared and your meeting runs smoother from the first minute.

## Share the Agenda Early and Revisit It Live

Once the agenda is built, don’t keep it to yourself. The earlier your team sees it, the more effective the meeting will be.

Circulating the agenda ahead of time, ideally the day before, gives participants space to review what’s on the table and prepare accordingly. It also opens the door for feedback. Someone might catch a missing item, suggest a better order, or offer input that helps sharpen the discussion points before the clock starts ticking.

Sharing the agenda in advance sets expectations. It tells your team: here’s what we’re here to do, and here’s how we’re going to use our time. No one should be hearing the meeting’s purpose for the first time when the call begins.

Once the meeting starts, revisit the agenda briefly. Ask:

- Does this plan still make sense?
- Are there any last-minute changes that need to be acknowledged or reprioritized?

Even a quick check-in helps anchor the group before diving in. And if something comes up mid-meeting that wasn’t on the agenda? Note it, park it, and keep the meeting focused on what matters now. You can always address new issues at the end or in a follow-up.

The agenda doesn’t just guide the meeting, it helps protect it. From distraction. From drift. From wasted time.

## Use the Agenda to Drive Follow-Through

The meeting might end, but the work rarely does. That’s why your agenda should do more than guide the conversation, it should support what happens next.

As the meeting unfolds, capture notes directly within the agenda itself. Add action items beneath each section, tag owners, and clarify deadlines while the details are still fresh. If you’re using a tool like [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features), this can happen in real time, no need to create a separate recap after the fact.

It also helps reduce duplication. Instead of rewriting what was discussed into a new doc or follow-up email, the agenda becomes the single source of truth. Everyone knows where to find the context, the decisions, and what they’re responsible for.

And when the next meeting rolls around? You’ve got a record to refer back to and a head start on planning the next agenda.

![nfographic titled “The Agenda Lifecycle.” Shows seven steps from planning to follow-through: define the goal, match structure to meeting type, assign time and owners, share early, use it live, track actions, and continue next meeting.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/the_agenda_lifecycle_en_e5a828bf8f.png)

## How WEDO Helps You Build Better Agendas

Everything in this guide becomes easier and more consistent when you use the right tool.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) is built for teams who want to stop repeating conversations and start making real progress. With WEDO, you can plan, structure, and manage your meeting agenda all in one place, before, during, and after the call.

Here’s how it helps:

- **Create and share agendas fast** using a [collaborative workspace](https://wedo.com/blog/why-collaborative-task-management-is-key-to-team-productivity) that’s linked to each meeting
- **Assign owners and time frames** to every item, so responsibilities are clear and the meeting stays focused
- **Take notes in real time** directly inside the agenda view, no switching between tabs or apps
- **Track decisions and action items** as they happen, and carry them forward to the next meeting
- **Revisit agendas and outcomes** easily, with everything stored and searchable in one shared timeline

No more scattered notes, lost follow-ups, or guessing what happened last time. WEDO makes it easy to build habits around structured, productive meetings, and to keep your team aligned every step of the way.

Ready to see it in action? [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) helps you turn better planning into better outcomes. [Try it out for free](https://wedo.com/signup) and see how much time and momentum you can save.

Learn how to create a productive meeting agenda that keeps discussions focused, decisions clear, and meeting time under control.

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How to Create a Productive Meeting Agenda

We’ve all been in meetings that felt productive, until no one could remember exactly what was decided. Tasks get repeated. Deadlines drift. And the one person who thought they were supposed to follow up? Turns out it wasn’t them.

And that’s exactly why you need meeting minutes.

Far from being a boring formality, well-written meeting minutes are what turn conversation into action. They document what was discussed and decided, who’s responsible for what, and when things need to happen. Whether you’re meeting with a project team or sitting on a board of directors, minutes provide a clear, easy-to-read written record that keeps everyone aligned and accountable.

Minutes can also serve as an official record, especially important in formal settings like board meetings, where decisions can have legal and financial consequences. But even in more casual team syncs, effective minutes ensure the key points don’t get lost in the shuffle once the meeting ends.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, from preparing to take notes in real time, to writing and distributing meeting minutes with clarity and confidence. We’ll share what good minutes look like, how to stay consistent with or without a template, and how platforms like [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) make the process smoother for everyone involved.

## What Are Meeting Minutes, Exactly?

Let’s clear something up right away: meeting minutes aren’t a transcript. You don’t need to capture every word said in the room. Instead, they’re a focused, structured summary of what actually matters: key points discussed, decisions made, and any action items that need to move forward.

At their core, meeting minutes are a written record of what happened and what was agreed upon. They help teams stay aligned, avoid rehashing the same conversations, and keep projects moving in the right direction. For leadership teams and board members, they’re also a way to maintain transparency and ensure that decisions are traceable over time.

In formal settings like board of directors meetings, meeting minutes serve as an official record of how the organization is governed. That means accuracy, structure, and neutrality matter. Following a process like Robert’s Rules of Order can help ensure consistency and fairness, especially when voting or making formal motions.

That said, even the most informal stand-up or team huddle benefits from some form of minute-taking. Whether you call them meeting notes, recaps, or follow-ups, the goal is the same: to make sure everyone leaves with the same understanding of what happened, and what needs to happen next.

Here’s what you’ll typically find in a solid set of meeting minutes:

- The date, time, and location of the meeting
- A list of attendees and any absentees
- A reference to the [meeting agenda](https://wedo.com/features/meetings)
- A summary of key points and discussion topics
- Noted decisions, votes, or outcomes
- Any assigned action items and due dates
- The time the meeting was adjourned

No matter the format or formality, good minutes help ensure nothing slips through the cracks, especially when the next meeting rolls around and you need to build on what came before.

![Infographic titled “How to Write and Share Effective Meeting Minutes” showing three stages: before the meeting (confirm agenda and attendees, assign minute taker, prepare template), during the meeting (capture key points and responsibilities), and after the meeting (format, check, and share minutes).](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/how_to_write_effective_meeting_minutes_en_ae14f6d476.png)

## Before the Meeting: Set the Stage for Strong Minutes

Great minutes don’t start when the meeting begins. They start with preparation.

Before anyone sits down (or logs in), there are a few key things you can do to make writing meeting minutes smoother, faster, and more accurate, especially if you’re the minute taker.

### Start with a Clear Meeting Agenda

Think of the meeting agenda as your outline. It tells you what topics will be covered, in what order, and often who’s leading each item. Not only does this help participants stay on track, but it gives the minute taker a framework for capturing notes in real time. Each agenda item becomes a section in your minutes, making the final document much easier to organize.

If no agenda has been shared in advance, ask for one. Or, if needed, create a basic version yourself based on the meeting’s purpose. Even a simple bulleted list can help.

### Confirm the Date, Time, and Location

It sounds obvious, but meeting minutes that skip the basics like date, time, and location can lose their context fast. Whether it’s a recurring sync or a once-a-year strategy session, make sure you record these details accurately. If the meeting is remote or hybrid, include the platform used (Zoom, Teams, etc.) as part of the location.

### Know Who’s in the Room

Before the meeting starts, prepare your list of attendees and note anyone who’s expected but absent. You’ll need this information later when writing the minutes and it’s much easier to track in real time than to guess after the fact. For formal sessions like minutes at a board meeting, getting this list right is especially important.

### Assign a Minute Taker (and Make It Official)

If it’s your job to take minutes, be clear on your role. If it’s someone else’s job, make sure they’re ready. The minute taker should be prepared to listen actively, capture relevant details without distraction, and stay objective.

In more structured environments, like corporate boards or nonprofit governance meetings, assigning a designated recorder or secretary ahead of time is common practice and often required by procedure or bylaws.

### Brush Up on Robert’s Rules if Needed

If the meeting follows [Robert’s Rules of Order](https://robertsrules.com/), reviewing the basic motions, formats, and terminology will help you capture minutes that reflect what actually happened, not just what was said. While not every organization uses these rules, knowing how they work will make you a stronger and more confident minute taker.

## During the Meeting: What to Capture and How

When the meeting kicks off, so does your job as the minute taker. Your goal is to capture the key points, discussions, and decisions that reflect what actually happened, not how it was said. The trick is to stay focused, organized, and ready to write in real time.

### Stick to the Facts, Not the Dialogue

Good meeting minutes summarize the essentials:

- What was discussed
- What was decided
- What actions were assigned
- Who’s responsible
- And when the meeting was adjourned

Skip small talk, side conversations, and personal commentary. Your goal is a clean, easy-to-read record that helps the team move forward, not a play-by-play transcript.

### Follow the Agenda to Stay on Track

Use the meeting agenda as your framework. As each item comes up, create a section in your notes. Even if the meeting strays off course (as they often do), organizing your notes by agenda topic will help you bring clarity to the final minutes later on.

### Capture Key Decisions and Action Items Clearly

If a decision is made, note it. If someone is assigned a task, write down who it is and what the expected outcome or deadline is. These are the moments that make meeting minutes important, because they turn discussion into accountability.

Examples:

- “The team voted to approve the Q3 marketing budget.”
- “Lena will draft the onboarding checklist by June 5.”
- “IT will explore new access control tools before the next meeting.”

These are the kinds of lines your teammates will search for later. Make them easy to find.

### Track Motions, Votes, and Formal Items Accurately

If you’re recording minutes at a board meeting or any session that follows Robert’s Rules of Order, be extra precise. Record motions as they were stated, note who made and seconded them, and include the vote outcome (unanimous, majority, abstentions, etc.).

This is where your minutes become a binding official record, not just a helpful summary.

### Write While It’s Fresh in Your Mind

Whenever possible, write as you go or immediately after. Waiting too long makes it easy to forget small but important details. If you're juggling a complex discussion, jot down shorthand or timestamps and come back to clarify later while it’s still fresh.

You can also use collaborative platforms like WEDO to track and organize notes in real time, tag action items, and mark who said what, without slowing down the meeting itself.

## After the Meeting: Writing and Formatting the Minutes

Once the meeting wraps, the real work begins: turning your notes into a clear, structured, and shareable written record. This is where your role as the minute taker shifts from listener to editor. The goal: make the minutes useful for anyone who was there or anyone who wasn’t.

### Start with the Basics

Every set of meeting minutes should begin with the essentials, such as date, time, type of meeting, attendees, a reference to the meeting agenda or its main topics and the name of the person taking the minutes

This information grounds your minutes and provides clarity for anyone reviewing them later, especially important for compliance, audits, or recordkeeping.

### Keep It Clear, Concise, and Neutral

Write in a tone that’s professional but straightforward. Your job is to document, not interpret. Stick to the key points and decisions, and avoid unnecessary details or side remarks. Use past tense, avoid first-person language, and keep the structure consistent.

For example:

- ✅ “The board approved the updated financial policy.”
- ❌ “I thought the policy was really smart and everyone seemed to like it.”

Let the facts speak for themselves.

### Highlight Decisions and Action Items

This is what most people are scanning the minutes for: what was discussed, what was decided, and who’s responsible for what. Use formatting (bolding or bullet points) to make these stand out. The more scannable the document, the more useful it becomes.

Consider separating action items at the bottom of each agenda section or collecting them in a final summary section at the end of the minutes.

### Use Templates to Save Time and Stay Consistent

Even if your organization doesn’t have a formal format, a solid meeting minutes template can make the whole process faster and more consistent. It reduces guesswork, ensures you don’t miss required sections, and keeps your minutes easy to read.

Most templates include:

- Headers for each agenda item
- A dedicated field for decisions or votes
- Space for action items and deadlines
- A final note on when the meeting was adjourned

Using a digital platform like WEDO allows you to build reusable templates and streamline your minute-taking process in real time, so you’re not starting from scratch every time.

### Double-Check for Accuracy

Before sending anything out, take a moment to verify names, decisions, and dates. If a vote took place, make sure the count is correct. If someone committed to a deliverable, make sure it’s recorded under their name, not someone else’s. These small errors can lead to big confusion later.

## Sharing and Storing Minutes the Right Way

Once your meeting minutes are written, don’t let them sit in your drafts folder. The sooner they’re shared, the more useful they are, especially when details are still fresh in your mind and action items are time-sensitive.

![Infographic titled “Sharing and Storing Meeting Minutes the Right Way” with key tips such as using a clean, scannable format, making them easy to access, sending within 24–48 hours, sharing with the right people, and storing securely.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/sharing_and_storing_meeting_minutes_the_right_way_en_598dc52b30.png)

### Send Minutes Promptly After the Meeting

Aim to distribute meeting minutes within 24 hours, or 48 at most. Timely sharing helps maintain momentum, reinforces accountability, and allows attendees to catch any errors or misunderstandings early.

If your minutes include pending approvals or corrections (common in board meetings), make that clear when you send them out.

Sample note:

*“Attached are the draft minutes from the May 10 meeting. Please review and reply with any edits or additions by Friday at 5 PM.”*

### Make It Easy to Access and Read

No one wants to dig through long email threads to find the latest version. Use a clear subject line, share minutes in a familiar format (PDF, Google Doc, or a WEDO-linked doc), and make sure the structure is easy to read, especially the key points, decisions, and assigned action items.

In tools like WEDO, you can take minutes in real time and publish them directly to a shared workspace, where teams can view, comment, and follow up without delay.

### Share with the Right People

Who needs to receive the minutes depends on the type of meeting:

- For a team sync: Just the attendees and relevant stakeholders
- For a project update: Add any external collaborators or managers
- For minutes at a board meeting: Include all board members, the executive team, legal counsel (if applicable), and anyone responsible for follow-up

Check your organization’s policy to see whether minutes need to be formally approved before wider distribution.

### Store Them Somewhere Secure (and Searchable)

Once shared, meeting minutes become part of your organization’s knowledge base. Treat them like any other official record: keep them organized, version-controlled, and backed up.

Cloud-based systems, including WEDO allow you to tag, search, and link minutes to specific projects, making it easier to find what and when was said down the road. That kind of traceability is especially useful when reviewing past decisions or resolving disputes.

## How WEDO Helps You Write and Distribute Better Meeting Minutes

Writing and sharing effective meeting minutes doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right structure and the right tools it becomes a seamless part of how your team works.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) is designed to make that process easier from start to finish. Instead of scrambling between emails, documents, and post-it notes, you can plan your meeting with a shared agenda, assign roles in advance, and take notes in real time, right where the conversation is happening.

Once the meeting wraps, your notes are already structured and ready to go. You can publish a clean, easy-to-read summary, notify the right people, and keep tasks moving, all from a single platform. And because everything is stored securely and searchable by topic, project, or participant, you’ll never have to dig through old files or threads to find out what was decided.

Whether you’re capturing an informal team huddle or formal minutes at a board meeting, [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) helps you stay consistent, compliant, and organized. [Try it for free](https://wedo.com/signup) for your next meeting and see how easy it can be to turn discussions into decisions, and decisions into action.

Learn how to write and share effective meeting minutes, from real-time note-taking to final distribution, with tips, templates, and tools from WEDO.

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The Complete Guide to Writing and Sharing Effective Meeting Minutes

In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others. Faced with these challenges, they often find themselves overwhelmed by routine, repetitive responsibilities. We immersed ourselves in the daily lives of 6 executive assistants who use the WEDO platform to understand the workings of their organization, the challenges they face, and the tools they have put in place to facilitate their management.

According to our study, the most time-consuming tasks for executive assistants revolve mainly around administrative functions. These activities, while necessary, tend to monopolize a significant proportion of their working time, preventing them from concentrating fully on more crucial aspects of their role, such as operational and strategic development.

Among the most time-consuming tasks in their job descriptions, the executive assistants surveyed identify the following:

**1. Meeting preparation:** preparing agendas and presentation documents, taking and sharing minutes, following up on decisions and tasks delegated at meetings,

**2. Diary management and meeting organization:** planning and coordination of appointments, team meetings, and conferences, taking care to avoid scheduling conflicts,
**3. Document preparation and management:** drafting, proofreading, and organizing important documents such as reports, presentations, correspondence and contracts,

**4. Project coordination:** managing and following up on specific projects, liaising between different departments, and meeting deadlines.

Internal and external communications, administrative support, and human resources management closely follow those.

## How to lighten the administrative load for an executive assistant?

When asked what tools were used to monitor collaboration before WEDO was integrated, the most common programs were Outlook, Word (for taking minutes), and Excel. However, these tools had significant limitations. Respondents reported difficulties related to the cross-functionality of information between different team members. For example, these tools were not conducive to **active, real-time collaboration when taking PVs**, making this task often cumbersome and time-consuming, and necessitating numerous round-trips. The systematic use of e-mail to distribute these documents wasted considerable time without guaranteeing effective communication.

Furthermore, the limited nature of these tools prevented efficient tracking of tasks and projects. Users faced significant challenges maintaining a clear, up-to-date overview of projects. In short, although these tools are widespread and familiar, their use in team collaboration and project management needs to be improved.

This situation underlines the importance of cross-functional tools and solutions to lighten the administrative workload. With the implementation of WEDO, the executive assistants surveyed were able to optimize their administrative processes.

### 1. Meeting preparation and management

![computerized agenda for real-time note-taking](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/reunion_ENEN_aad2ef7f0e.png)

One of the most time-consuming aspects of the job is the preparation of meetings. With WEDO, executive assistants benefit from automated management and considerable time savings in preparation and follow-up. The platform enables uniform management of minutes, clear distribution of post-meeting tasks, and automatic tracking of topics from one session to the next. Users report an average time saving of 55% for these tasks.

![save time spent on meetings](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/55_ENEN_83c8604c19.png)

WEDO's meeting module lets you integrate blocks of paragraphs, tasks, file attachments, personal notes, votes and signatures, among others.

![testimonial Regula Oberdorfer](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Regula_Oberdorfer_ENEN_1a54d3c30f.png)

### 2. Project management and task tracking

![efficient task management](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/tasks_ENEN_be99588a59.png)

Project management and tracking represent another major challenge. WEDO simplifies this task by offering clear delegation possibilities, the creation of checklist templates to standardize processes, and real-time task tracking. This leads to better prioritization and more efficient day-to-day management.

![testimonials Aline Volery and Nicole Thalmann](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/testimonials_Aline_et_Nicole_ENEN_11a8dc6cff.png)

### Use case: facilitating HR processes and the transmission of specifications

When executive assistants are involved in HR processes, the integration of WEDO proves to be a major asset. The platform makes it possible to standardize on-boarding and off-boarding procedures by means of specific checklists. These checklists, drawn up for each stage of the process, automatically assign the relevant tasks to the team members concerned. This method ensures structured, efficient management of personnel transitions, eliminating the operational uncertainties often associated with the question "What steps should I take?".

By simplifying these processes, WEDO not only eases the workload for HR managers, but also contributes to a clear, documented handover of tasks and knowledge from one employee to the next.

![simplified hr processes](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Modeles_checklists_ENEN_fdf58af70f.png)

One of the decisive advantages of WEDO, highlighted by our management assistants, is the ease with which recruitment interviews can be documented in real time. Each exchange can be recorded directly in a standardized (and customized if required) agenda, enabling these interactions to be saved methodically and instantaneously.

### 4. Transmission of information

WEDO lets you link documents to tasks or meetings, ensuring that all the necessary information is in the right place. Global search makes it easy to retrieve documents, and to find a specific file based on a keyword found in the PDF file.

In terms of communication, WEDO users particularly appreciate the immediate visibility of entries and the ability to restrict access to certain information.

![Alexandra Locher](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alexandra_locher_ENEN_e53527e95c.png)

**We asked our users to rate the platform on a scale of 1 to 10, to qualify the positive impact WEDO has on their daily tasks.**

![Best collaborative software for executive assistant productivity and organizations](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/preparation_reunion_note_ENEN_1_d92c7629a1.png)

![Alicia Aubert](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alicia_Aubert_ENEN_5d3644b8f7.png)

Executive assistants can greatly ease their workload by equipping themselves with a collaborative platform. Do you have any questions or doubts about WEDO's compatibility with your needs? We'll be happy to give you a short 30-minute demonstration.

::button-primary[Try WEDO for free]{link="/signup"}

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others

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Making daily life easier for executive assistants

Held once a month, quarter, or half-year, as required, these privileged meetings provide a confidential and open communication space, encouraging in-depth discussion of individual and collective objectives. They create a valuable opportunity to discuss each employee's specific challenges and needs, fostering better mutual understanding. Moreover, these meetings provide a framework for recognizing individual achievements and contributions, reinforcing a sense of accomplishment and belonging to the team. Thanks to these personalized exchanges, bilateral meetings contribute to more effective personnel management, more focused professional growth, and solid, fulfilling working relationships.

## Key topics for a bilateral meeting

During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management. Here are some of these topics:

### 1. Ongoing assessment
Discuss objectives for the current period and assess progress and results achieved. Identify successes and areas requiring further attention.

### 2. Professional Development
Explore opportunities for employee development, training, and professional growth. Identify skills to be strengthened and possible progression paths.

### 3. Feedback
Exchange constructive feedback on work performed, highlighting strengths and addressing areas for improvement. Encourage open dialogue to stimulate continuous learning.

### 4. Needs and Challenges
Allow employees to express their needs regarding resources, assistance, or support to accomplish their tasks. Discuss possible obstacles and find solutions together.

### 5. Work-Life Balance
Address workload-related issues, stress levels, and work-life balance. Identify measures to support employee well-being.

### 6. Projects and Initiatives
Discuss future projects, new initiatives, and potential employee contributions. Encourage active participation and creativity.

### 7. Management feedback
Offer employees the opportunity to share their feelings about management, work methods, and team communication. Foster an environment of trust and continuous improvement.

### 8. Focus on Vision
Ensure that the employee understands and adheres to the team or company's overall vision, values, and goals.

### 9. Resources and Support
Identify the resources required for the associate's success and ensure that he/she has the proper support to carry out his/her tasks.

### 10. Long-Term Planning
Examine longer-term perspectives and discuss the employee's career aspirations and how these align with team or organizational goals.

_"Enabling discussions in bilateral meetings, in a more intimate way and with a long-term vision, brings a notable benefit to the employee's career in the company. It makes them feel valued, heard and recognized above all. Setting clear, long-term objectives is a real motivator for them."_

**Marie Rudaz-Jaeggi**, *[AmbitionSuccess.ch](http://ambitionsuccess.ch/)* - MORGES

Team leaders and employees can establish fruitful collaboration, foster professional development, and maintain a positive working climate by addressing these topics regularly and in-depth at bilateral meetings.

## Use WEDO to keep track of your bilateral meetings!

![1_1 ENFR.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/1_1_ENFR_78b8a89537.png)

With WEDO, you can prepare your agenda jointly with your manager or colleague. In this way, each participant can prepare the questions or topics to be addressed.

Generally speaking, the agenda items for a bilateral meeting are recurrent. WEDO enables you to set the topics so that they recur from one time to the next to ensure that discussions are followed up and that objectives evolve.

Once completed, the minutes are locked and remain available to both participants for consultation.

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management.

A smiling person listening to their counterpart in a one-on-one meeting, overlaid with the text “Topics for a one-on-one meeting” and “Use case”

Meetings

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