This document provides a checklist of 12 key decisions to make when planning a successful executive meeting, workshop, or retreat. These include specifying desired outcomes, choosing a facilitator with consensus building and strategic thinking skills, selecting a theme, building an agenda to achieve outcomes, making a list of necessary participants, estimating the required time, deciding on documentation methods, appointing a logistics coordinator, selecting a convenient location with an impactful room configuration, assembling and distributing briefing materials, identifying any required research, and planning introductory remarks to set expectations and ground rules. Making these decisions carefully will help ensure the meeting is productive and memorable.
A3 Thinking: A Structured Approach to Problem Solving
Executive Meeting Checklist
1. EXECUTIVE
MEETING
Essentials to help
ensure a memorable
and productive meeting
Make these 12 key decisions
when planning a successful
meeting, workshop or retreat.
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CHECKLIST
2. Specify the desired
outcomes.
1
What outcomes will cause
participants to agree that the
meeting was a success, and
well worth the investment of
time and money?
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3. Choose a facilitator.
2
Make a list of the skills and
experience you believe the right
person should have, including
an ability to build consensus
and to think strategically.
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4. Select a theme.
3
A theme helps set the tone for
meetings, and encourages
participants to think about
how they can contribute.
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5. Build an agenda.
4
The agenda is of primary
importance in achieving the
outcomes you have specified
for the meeting. When doing so,
it’s wise to factor in the nature
of your participant group.
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6. Make a list of
participants.
5
The answer to, “Who needs to
be there?” might seem obvious,
but it isn’t always. Be as
selective as possible, ensuring
that each attendee has a
legitimate role to play.
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7. Estimate the time.
6
How much time will be required
to achieve the desired outcomes?
Part of a day? A full day?
Two or three days? More?
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8. Decide what to
document & how.
7
Decide on the documentation
you’d like, and who it will be
handled by. An administrative
person, a participant, someone
recruited specifically for the
purpose, or the facilitator.
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9. Appoint a logistics
coordinator.
8
Designate someone to handle
the logistics – an executive or
an administrator depending on
your situation/expectations of
the role/task at hand.
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10. Select a location &
room configuration.
9
Will the meeting be held at
your offices? Offsite in a nearby
facility? Somewhere more
exotic? Consider things
like convenience, impact on
your participants and the
conversation, and cost.
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11. Assemble &
distribute briefing
materials.
10
Identify the materials you’d like
participants to review prior to
the session – an article, book
summary or extract, economic
forecast, environmental
assessment, or organization-
specific material.
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12. Identify research
requirements.
11
If research is required (for
example, a survey or key
informant interviews), make
sure it is spec’d, awarded and
completed in time to get
information into the hands
of participants.
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13. Plan the
intro remarks.
12
Ensure that participants are
welcomed, expectations
around outcomes are reviewed
as well as the ground rules.
A little time spent clarifying
these items upfront will pay
off in more of the right kind
of conversation.
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