A successful board meeting is a combination of strategies that are designed to maximize the results and create the perfect environment for collaboration. These tips will assist you set a dynamic tone and encourage participation from different perspectives, and achieve your desired results.
Clearly Define the Goals of Your Meeting
Meetings that have clear goals keep them focused and productive. This can lead participants to meaningful discussions and decision-making processes. Setting clear goals for meetings will allow organizers to prioritize agenda items, assign enough time to each topic and give them flexibility in the event that unforeseen issues or urgent matters arise during the meeting.
Begin with Important Issues
The discussion of the most important topics first will stimulate your meeting, since it helps to get everyone in the right frame of mind to have a deeper discussion. This is the best way to establish an expectation that your meetings are focused on the issues instead of updates.
Distribute all meeting materials prior to the event
Distributing the 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 will allow participants to peruse the materials and formulate their opinions and ideas prior to the meeting. This will prevent the meeting from drifting off track and getting bogged down in administrative tasks.
Assess Your Meetings
Utilizing an online portal for your board will allow you to keep track of the items that you need to follow up on during the meeting, and distribute them in an easily digestible format after the meeting is completed. It is also crucial to evaluate board meetings regularly to determine what’s working and what needs to be improved.
