A well-designed board meeting agenda is a must-have tool for effective meetings. But an agenda on its own will not guarantee productive discussions or decisions. To achieve the desired results the board’s leaders must be aware of common mistakes that impede the effectiveness of meetings and act to avoid them.
A lot of subjects on the agenda can lead to rushed discussions and not enough time is allocated to each item. Prioritize topics according to the urgency and importance. You may also think about the possibility of deferring certain topics to later board meetings or committee meetings to have a more extensive discussion.
Set time limits for each item on the agenda. This will help keep your board on track and ensure that every issue is given proper consideration. Be realistic with your time estimates. Review past meetings that were scheduled and figure out what you can accomplish in one meeting.
It is recommended to share the agenda for board meetings for a few days, or at least 24 hours, prior to the meeting. This gives board members an opportunity to review pertinent documents before a meeting. Some organizations also have the sign-in sheet in order to confirm the attendance of each attendee.
It is important to define clearly how decisions will be made on each item on the agenda, for example by consensus or voting. This will prevent confusion and miscommunication during discussion. If an issue is controversial or a hot topic be sure to state that the board will vote unanimously instead of dividing votes.