Meetings at the Board are essential to reaching company goals, avoiding conflicts and to ensure compliance. But they can only be productive if everyone in the room is actively engaged and committed to fostering a constructive dialogue. Implementing these best practices can transform your Board meetings to dynamic engines that will propel your organization towards its long-term goals and vision.
The first step to running an effective board meeting is to establish clear expectations and establish meeting protocols. It is essential to identify who is responsible for every item on the agenda and ensure that all participants know what to expect.
Setting and adhering to the timeframes for each agenda item helps to keep the focus of the meeting. It also lets attendees know that their time is appreciated. Limit the amount of agenda items to ensure that your board members are able to discuss each item efficiently. Voting on non-controversial topics can be done through a consensus agenda, which will free time to discuss strategic issues. Use visual tools such as countdown timers, and adhere to your time frames Board Meetings Definition particularly when discussing sensitive issues.
Being distracted by new topics for discussion can divert attention from the purpose of the meeting and result in unnecessarily lengthy discussions. Include the word «parking area» on the agenda to include subjects which require further investigation or consideration, but aren’t on the top of your list. Make sure you regularly check the parking lot to assess what should be researched further, added to the agenda, or delegated as a task.