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7 An agenda can help ensure that your meeting is well-organized productive and stays on track. If you find that your support group meetings are more disorganized than youd like or that as a support group leader you arrive unsure about or unprepared for the meeting you might benefit from using a meeting agenda. An agenda can serve many useful purposes including the following Notify attendees about the content of the meetingwhichcanincludetopicsfordiscussion guest speakers reminders questions and upcoming events Inform attendees about the structure of the meeting by listing the time allotments for each section of the meeting e.g. 3 315 p.m. Member Introductions Serve as a reminder list that can be checked off to ensure all planned topics are covered Help with time management and maintaining meeting focus Assist leaders during the pre-meeting planning process and Provide an opportunity for group participation by giving members the chance to submit agenda items and discussion topics for inclusion. Some people prefer to distribute the meeting agenda via email before the meeting so that members can know what to expect. Others choose to only distribute the agenda at the meeting when people arrive. Some might opt for a detailed list that includes the exact timing of each meeting item while others opt for a simple bulleted list of the topics to be covered. Remember although you may plan your meeting perfectly you can never anticipate everything so flexibility is always important. Of course what matters most when deciding how to structure your agenda is to use the method that works best for you and your group. Try This Support Group Meeting Tip MS Cartoon Caption Contest Submit your caption to EmpowerSource Support Group News 6520 N. Andrews Ave. Fort Lauderdale FL 33309 or supportgroupsmsfocus.org no later than Aug. 1. Can you help us caption the featured cartoon Use your MS experiences and insights to come up with a creative humorous or witty caption. Your caption should provide an original explanation for the cartoon featured here be clever and concise 30 words or less and relate to living with MS. Well feature our favorite entries in the next issue and one lucky winner willbe chosen to receive a 25 gift card. Illustration by Joseph Trevor Santeiro