A successful board meeting relies on the right strategy and a responsible follow-up. The more board members feel that their time and expertise are respected, the better they will take part in the discussion.
Start your meeting on time to keep everyone focused.
Consider implementing a consent agenda, which will cut down on meeting time by incorporating reports and documents which all members were charged to review prior to the meeting. It will be less time-consuming to spend valuable meeting time explaining these items.
Encourage board members to participate by presenting different perspectives, even when their points of view conflict. Boards thrive when there’s a wide range of opinions on any issue; this is what produces new ideas that are beneficial to the company.
Every board meeting should have clear objectives and a top priority for effective planning. This ensures that the board has a sound plan to accomplish its goals and manage any potential risks.
Have a meeting with directors prior to your board meetings to discuss the main issues of the meeting. This will allow you to build rapport with the directors, familiarize them with the board members and provide them with an understanding of the foundation on which they can make decisions. You might want to consider using tools to gather feedback from your board following each meeting. You can do this with open-ended questions or using a simple polling software. The more information you can gather about the board meeting, the better you’ll be able to plan the next meeting.