How to Run an Effective Board Meeting

A well-organized and efficient board meeting is a good foundation for growth and innovation. To achieve this goal it is important to establish clear goals and structures and ensure that the right people are present at the right time. The more board members feel that their time and expertise is respected, the more engaged they will be in discussions and decisions.

It is crucial to disseminate all agenda items and materials in advance. This is best done at least 3-4 days prior to the meeting. This allows members of the board to read through the documents and formulate their opinions and thoughts prior to the meeting. This lets the chair start the meeting with a brief recap of the meeting’s focus and the primary input sought. This will help to bring energy into the start of the meeting and keep the focus on the meeting throughout.

Prioritizing topics according to their importance https://www.onlineboardmeeting.org/who-should-be-on-the-board-and-how-to-identify-effective-members/ and impact is essential when making the agenda. It is also important to ensure that all the important issues are covered. This will allow the board members to focus on strategic decisions and not just update. This will help make meetings more productive.

By sticking to the time limitations in the agenda the board members won’t get distracted. Be sure to keep non-controversial topics off the consent agenda to save time and allow for more thorough discussion of more strategic issues. Finally having the chair make use of an “off-agenda” at the end of the meeting to push the agenda to tangents that require more time can be helpful to keep distractions at bay and to limit the amount of time wasted.