An effective agenda for the board meeting is a vital device that will ensure productive, collaborative meetings – regardless of whether the meeting is in person or via video. It’s a method to keep the discussion focused on what’s most important and avoid losing time or energy to irrelevant subjects. While a well-organized meeting agenda is the foundation of a successful board meeting, you can do more to boost your board’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Ideally, agendas for board meetings are distributed two to three days to a week in advance of the meeting. This gives board members ample time to review and prepare for the meeting. This also gives them the opportunity to ask for any additional items that they believe should be discussed at the meeting. This is a straightforward, yet efficient way to reduce the number of unplanned additions at the beginning of a board meeting.
Include both old and new items on the agenda. The old business section of the board meeting agenda will include any issues unresolved from previous meetings as well as any topics that are proposed for discussion during this meeting.
When preparing the board minutes of the meeting, make certain to document clearly any decisions made in the course of discussion. Also, be sure to document any motions of order or appeals made during the meeting and include an overview of any executive sessions that took place.