The agenda for your board meetings determines the tone and format of your board meetings. A well-planned meeting agenda will help you avoid common mistakes that can lead to poor decision-making and hinder productivity.
The first item on a board meeting agenda should be “Call to Order and time”. This is when the chairperson calls the board to start the meeting, introduces new members, or gives other opening remarks. It’s also a good time to discuss any changes to the agenda and approve the previous minutes.
Every item on the agenda for a board meeting should include a brief description of the topics to be discussed during the discussion, along with a summary of any supporting materials. The information is given prior to the meeting to reduce time and ensure that all participants are familiar with the background material. It also helps keep discussions focused and productive.
It is important to prioritize your agenda issues based on their relevance and urgency as well as aligned with your strategic goals. This will help you save time by not wasting your time on items that are not important or have little impact. If you have too many agenda items to cover in one meeting, think about scheduling follow-up sessions or assigning them to specialized committees to allow for more detailed exploration.
Lastly, allocate realistic time frames for each agenda item. This will prevent discussions from being too long and allow you the ability to adjourn your meeting in time. These timeframes should only be used as guidelines. It is fine to adjust them if you need to during the meeting. You may want to allow more time to your board next time they have a lot of questions on the same topic.
