How to Make Your Board Meetings More Productive

The board meeting is a key opportunity for your company to benefit from the knowledge and perspective that Important People on your board bring. If you let them focus on reading reports, filling out formalities and discussing procedural issues the board will leave the meeting with less than they could have.

The most effective board meetings are productive and include specific actions. To make your meetings as efficient as you can be sure to follow these guidelines:

Make sure you know your board members' schedules prior to your meeting. Begin by using a program like Doodle to locate common open dates on your board member's calendars. Once you've located the most convenient time, talk to those https://boardroomapp.org/5-tactics-that-will-make-your-executive-board-highly-effective-during-the-meeting/ who manage their own schedules directly and ask to confirm their availability.

The meeting will begin by providing an overview of key issues and inputs sought. It is likely to include a recapping of highlights from the calls prior to the meeting and the board's report.

Give your department heads and committees time and space to present important reports and updates. This will help the board keep up to date. Remember that the board might have to revisit or debate matters that weren't resolved during the previous meeting. It's beneficial to assign a specific point person from your team to follow-up on these topics following the meeting. The board should also determine the next steps that are important. This should be clearly documented in the minutes, with an end date and expectations for each item.