Board meetings are essential to the success of any organisation. The board members as well as the leadership team must invest a lot of effort and commitment. But how do you conduct a board meeting that is efficient and productive? The answer lies in thorough preparation with a well-structured agenda early distribution, smart scheduling, the right locations, and easy access to materials.
Start the meeting by giving an outline of the agenda as well as an open invitation to everyone who attends, particularly new members or special guests. Set the tone for the meeting by explaining the purpose of the board’s discussion and the process by which decisions will be made. It’s important to adhere to the quorum requirement in your governance documents and ensure that all members are present.
Talk about the most important board agenda items first. This will ensure you give enough time for them to be considered and discussed. This will enable you to have the most interesting and energetic conversations and stick to your agenda.
Explain how you will make decisions during the meeting, whether by view website consensus or by voting. This will ensure that all board members understand and can agree on the process of decision-making, which is key to effective decision-making.
It is important to give the board ample opportunity to bring up new and unresolved items, known as «new business.» Typically, these will be focused on discussion with the intention of reaching a conclusion. If you determine that more research is required or that there is no way to make a final decision reached at the meeting it’s best to create a section on the agenda. These items can be discussed in future meetings or in follow-up discussions.