Preparation is the best way to ensure that your board meetings are efficient and productive. Preparing for a meeting is not just about ensuring that you have the proper room and equipment, but ensuring that everyone on your team has the necessary knowledge to have a valuable discussion.
The agenda should be set first. Set the date and time well ahead of time so that your team has enough time to plan their attendance and mark their calendars. It is also possible to distribute the materials to the board in advance, so that your board members have plenty of time to review them prior to the meeting.
It’s helpful to ask yourself, during this time, which issues are the most important and relevant to discuss. You should also think about the goals you’d like to achieve during the meeting. This includes any action items and milestones that must be met. This will help you decide the amount of time you should allocate for each item and help you keep your meetings organized and on track.
Create a rough schedule and then share it with your executive team, the chair of your board and any other members of your team. In most cases, new items will be suggested at this point, so it’s important to be flexible and realistic in how you handle new items. If you don’t think any of the items are appropriate for the meeting, you might consider taking them off the agenda or putting them away for a later board meeting.
It is essential to have a system in place for recording and disseminating minutes. With Boardable it’s easy to publish and distribute minutes when they’re still fresh. You can assign tasks to board members and monitor progress between meetings.