Board meetings are a vital part of a successful business. With the proper planning and follow-up, your board of directors is able to make decisions that push the company forward. Insisting on the agenda and adhering to it is the best way to improve the efficiency of your board. This will ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and all important topics are thoroughly covered.

Create and distribute an agenda for the board meeting ahead of time. This allows board members to study the agenda and arrive at the meeting ready to share their thoughts. This also ensures that the board members are on the same page as regards what should be covered and when.

Start on time. This will help everyone be excited and involved and can inspire punctual attendees. It can be tempting for committee members to spend a lot of their time reading reports. This is usually a waste because the committee chair ought to have already read these reports prior to the meeting.

Set time limits for each topic and keep the discussion focused on those items on the agenda. This shows respect for the board members’ commitment to their time and ensures that all essential discussions take place during the meeting. Noncontroversial items can be voted on using a consent agenda, which will allow the time needed for more detailed discussions of strategic topics during the board meeting.

Keep the minutes as clear as possible. Utilize a template designed https://www.boardroomtips.info/what-are-common-board-positions around the agenda. Include things like the names of people who will be attending, headings for the topics being discussed and the draft resolution language to be used to make the decisions. Visual project management software can help you keep notes at the same time as the board discussion, and then organize them to make distribution easy.