Rethink Your Agenda. · Make a Point

The Problem

Is your agenda worth staying for?

Be honest. Look at your agenda. Would your audience lean in — or tune out the moment they see it?

Most agendas are a list of topics. That’s it.

Agenda

Today’s topics

Introduction
Market Overview
The Need
Our Solution

That’s not an agenda. That’s a table of contents for a presentation nobody asked for.

Nobody walks into your meeting thinking about your topics. They walk in thinking about their problems. Their deadlines. Their pressure. The question their boss asked them this morning.

Your agenda is the first thing your audience sees. It either grabs attention or it doesn’t. Most agendas kill curiosity before you’ve said a single word.

The Prep Work

Is your agenda giving your audience a reason to listen?

“

When I prepare a speech I spend ⅔ of the time thinking about what they want to hear, and ⅓ of the time about what I want to say.

— Abraham Lincoln

Read that again. Two-thirds. How much of your prep time are you thinking about them?

So it’s not about you. It’s about what you’re giving them.

Think about your audience. Not in general — this specific audience, this specific conversation, this specific moment.

One agenda makes them think

“I guess I have to sit through this.”

The other makes them think

“Yes — that’s exactly what I need answers to.”

What separates good question-based agendas from great ones is the tailoring. Tailor every agenda to every audience. Different people. Different room. Different time. Different questions. Every time.

Do this first

Put away your list of topics. Interview a few participants and ask what they’re interested in and what questions they want answered. Start from the audience — their current problems, their goals, their risks. Questions they’re already bringing into the room. Questions that reflect their mindset, not your priorities. What are they wondering? What kept the decision-maker up last night?

This makes them co-creators of your agenda. Thank them when you present it — that neutralizes future objections.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you saw the invite in your calendar, what would you want to know? What would you want to get out of that time?

Does your agenda grab attention — or list generic topics?

So instead of listing topics, promo your content with… questions.I call them Promo Questions.

A topic informs. A question pulls in. And the moment your audience sees a question that mirrors what they actually care about — something shifts. They lean in. They want to know where this is going.

That’s the difference between a list of topics and an agenda that creates curiosity for your listeners.

A LIST OF TOPICS

Introduction & Overview
The Problem / The Need
Our Solution
Competitive Analysis
Innovation & Scalability
Closing Thoughts

VS

YOUR AGENDA NEEDS QUESTIONS

What does it take to build effective self-service?
How can you tackle your biggest inefficiencies?
What would it mean to cut delivery time in half?
How can you improve the experience for everyone involved?
Why is now the right moment to act?

The first list is about you. The second is about them.

Not every question works. Yes, every topic can be turned into a question — “Challenges” can become “What are the challenges?” — but those are lazy questions. “What is our solution?” is a topic wearing a question mark as a costume. It isn’t tailored. It doesn’t pull anyone in.

Anatomy of a Strong Promo Question

No yes/no questions

Skip “Do you,” “Can you,” “Are you.” Use Why do, How does, What will, What does it take.

Make it tailored

A question that opens with your company or product name is a red flag that you’re here to talk about you. Adding “you, your, you’re” grabs attention and forces a tailored ending.

Name the real thing

Reference a genuine challenge, risk, or ambition they’re already carrying. If they haven’t thought about it, it won’t land.

Concise & conversational

No question should exceed one bullet. No jargon, no buzzwords. Say it out loud — if you need to breathe in the middle, it’s too long.

Turn topics into questions

Every topic can become a promo question. Every single one. Take your topic and ask: what is my audience actually wondering about this? Then write the question they’d ask if they could.

Upgrade Risks→What risks do you face when upgrading?Or: How do you mitigate those risks today?

Testing Challenges→Why do your teams struggle with large-scale testing?Or: What does it take to minimize your testing pains?

Our Roadmap→What new capabilities can you expect this year?Or: How will the new roadmap improve the way you work?

Why Us?→What should you consider when choosing the right partner?Or: What should you check when selecting one?

Where promo questions live

Four ways to use promo questions

The agenda slide is just the start. Train yourself to think in promo questions.

Agenda Slide

Open with: “You’ll leave here today with answers to your questions” — then count them on your fingers. Replace every topic with a question.

Section Transitions

Put a large question on a transition slide between sections. It resets attention and builds anticipation.

Slide Titles

Instead of “Our Solution,” try “How does this change your daily workflow?” Every title becomes a hook.

Say It Out Loud

Don’t just put questions on the slides. Ask the question. Then pause. Let it create curiosity before you move on.

The Bottom Line

Your agenda needs promo questions.

Every meeting, every presentation, every pitch is a conversation.

A topic list says: here’s what I want to talk about.

A question-based agenda says: I know what you’re thinking about, and in the time we have I’ll focus on that.

And the best part — the right promo questions prepare your audience to receive your message.

Stop presenting topics.Start answering questions.