The board meeting is a key moment for your company to benefit from the knowledge and perspective that Important People on your board bring. However, if they sit in the meeting for hours doing reports in order to complete administrative formalities or debating procedural issues — your board will walk away with a lot less than they would have.

The most successful board meetings involve productive discussions and concrete action items. To make your meetings as efficient as possible adhere to these suggestions:

Before the meeting, you should have a good understanding of the schedules of your board members. Use a tool like Doodle to find the most popular dates that are available in the calendars of your board members. Once you’ve located the most convenient time, reach out to those who manage their own schedules directly and ask them to confirm their availability.

Begin the meeting with brief explanation of the focus and key inputs sought. This https://boardroomapp.org/5-tactics-that-will-make-your-executive-board-highly-effective-during-the-meeting/ could include a recap of highlights from pre-meeting calls and the board package.

Give your key department heads and committee members the space and time to communicate important information and reports. This will keep the board informed and current. Be aware that the board may need to revisit or discuss matters that weren’t resolved during the previous meeting. It’s beneficial to assign a designated point person from your team to follow up on these topics after the meeting. The board must also decide on any important next steps. This should be clearly recorded in the minutes. There should be an established deadline and expectations for each item.