How to Run Better Board Meetings

Board meetings are essential to the success of any business, whether they serve as boardroomcommunity.com/boardmaps-board-management-software-review/ a forum for strategic decision-making or a framework for governance. But regardless of their importance, the effectiveness of board meetings is usually restricted by the way they’re run.

A successful board meeting requires a well-planned approach to ensure that each meeting is productive and that it leads to productive discussions. Planning a lively agenda that prioritizes the most important topics and allots time for each discussion item is a great way to begin.

Aside from setting clear objectives, it is also important to ensure that all board members have access to board materials and are adequately prepared before the meeting. This can make board meetings more productive. Additionally, preparing accurate and concise minutes of meetings which document the discussion and decision while also including actions items with timeframes is a key element to successful board meetings.

Limiting the time devoted to reports and « have to’s » will allow for more meaningful and productive discussion time. As a rule it is recommended to not spend more than 25% of meeting time on routine items and reporting.

Being distracted by topics for discussion that don’t provide any direct impact on the company’s goals could waste the valuable time of the board and cut into the amount of time that is available for strategic thinking and planning. A lot of boards have a parking zone at the end of their agendas to shift any non-priority issues that need discussion into future meetings.