Tips for Running a Successful Board Meeting

The successful running of a board meeting requires a variety of strategies that will yield the most results while creating an ideal setting for collaboration. The following guidelines will help you set a dynamic tone to encourage participation from all perspectives, and reach the desired results.

Clarify the goals of your meeting

The setting of clear goals helps keep meetings focused and productive. It also leads participants to thoughtful discussions and decision making processes. A clear understanding of the meeting’s goals will enable organizers to prioritize agenda items, set aside sufficient time for each subject, and provide flexibility in the event of unexpected questions or urgent situations occur during the meeting.

Start with the most important issues

By addressing the most important issues first, you’ll increase the energy of your meeting and put everyone in a more relaxed state of mind to have a more thorough discussion. It’s also a good method to establish the expectation that your meetings will focus on issues, not updates, which is the most frequent complaint of board click to read of directors meetings.

Distribute all Meeting Materials advance

Distributing meeting materials and reports to all Board members prior to the meeting is the best method to ensure they are prepared for the meeting. This gives attendees the chance to look over documents prior to the meeting and formulate their thoughts and opinions. This will also prevent the meeting from drifting off track or getting bogged down by administrative tasks.

Review Your Meetings

Utilizing an online board portal will allow you to record the items that you need to follow up on during the meeting, and then give them out in an easily digestible format after the meeting has been completed. It is also essential to evaluate board meetings regularly to determine what’s working and what could be improved.