How to Keep Board Meetings Productive and Engaging

A board meeting is a high-level decision-making process and discussion within the business. These meetings aren’t just used to assess the performance of the previous year but also to consider future strategies and plans of action. These meetings are private and confidential or open to anyone who wants to observe, depending on the size of your organization.

The agenda is usually prepared by the executive secretary or the management assistant with input from the chairman and CEO. It contains logistical information like the date, time and location of the meeting. The minutes from previous meetings are included, along with the list of agenda items. It is essential that board members read through the minutes from the previous meeting and then ratify them prior to discussing any new matters.

Long reports and other routine items can quickly drown meetings on the board in details. To ensure that meetings are productive and engaging you should limit reports to not more than 25 percent of the total meeting duration. For instance, ask leaders and committee chairs to send a summary of their report prior to the meeting instead of giving an extensive report in the boardroom.

You could also include an area for parking at end of the agenda for any new topics that don’t fit within the two main areas of focus for the meeting. This helps avoid getting sidetracked and wasting valuable meeting time. Making sure that discussions are focused on the most critical issues maximizes outcomes from every minute of the board meeting.

https://cbdboardroom.com/5-questions-boards-should-ask-after-an-audit/