Meeting Glossary
Find plain-English definitions for agendas, action items, consent, consensus, decision owners, facilitation, and other meeting terms.
See how this commitment shapes our meeting field guide.
This glossary keeps the site's working language precise. An action item is a concrete next move with one owner and a due point. An agenda is an ordered plan of meeting outcomes and activities. A decision owner is the person authorized to make the final call.
A facilitator guides the process without necessarily owning the decision. A parking lot is a visible list of relevant off-scope issues with a destination. Consent means no reasoned objection to a safe-to-try proposal; consensus means the group can support a shared decision.
Planning and participation terms
Agenda
An ordered plan for the work, including outcomes, inputs, owners, and timeboxes rather than a list of topics.
Facilitator
A person who guides the process while leaving the decision to the stated owner or group.
Parking lot
A visible list of relevant off-scope questions with an owner or destination, not a place to make issues disappear.
Decision and follow-through terms
Action item
A concrete next move with one accountable owner and a date or trigger.
Decision owner
The person or role authorized to make the final choice after the agreed input.
Consent and consensus
Consent means no reasoned objection to a safe-to-try proposal. Consensus means the group can support a shared decision.
Our standard
We aim to be specific, transparent, accessible, and useful without overstating certainty. If the site falls short, use the contact page so the page or tool can be corrected.