How to Create a Well-Planned Board Meeting Agenda
A board meeting agenda is a plan that establishes the tone and structure of discussions at board meetings. A well-planned agenda helps you avoid common mistakes that can hinder productivity and cause poor decisions.
The first item on a board meeting agenda should be “Call to Order and time”. The chairperson should call the board to begin the meeting and introduce new members, or make other opening remarks. It’s also a good opportunity to discuss any modifications to the agenda and also approve the minutes of previous meetings.
Each item on the agenda of a board meeting should be accompanied by a brief description of what is expected during discussion and a brief description of any supporting materials. The information is given in advance to save time and ensure that all participants are familiar with the background information. It also helps keep discussions focused and productive.
Prioritize the agenda items for your board by relevance and urgency, as well as alignment with your strategy goals. This will help you save time by not wasting it on topics that aren’t significant or have no impact. If you have a large number of agenda items, think about holding a follow-up session or assigning them to committees that specialize in the subject to study in greater detail.
The last thing to do is make sure you assign a realistic timeframe to every item on the agenda. This prevents discussions from running over time and allows you to end the meeting in a timely manner. It’s important to keep in mind that these timeframes are just guidelines, and that it’s okay to adjust them if necessary during the meeting. For instance, if you are aware that your board has a tendency to ask a lot of questions about one particular issue, you might prefer to give it a bit more time the next time.