Board meetings are crucial to making strategic decisions, establishing corporate policies, and more. These meetings can be boring and filled with routine items. They also require considerable time to plan. While it could appear that getting ready for a meeting of the board is just another chore board members who are well-prepared can make a lasting impression upon their fellow board members.
Start planning meetings for the board by drafting an agenda that includes time for each item to be discussed. It is beneficial to design the agenda with a set number of hours in mind so that you have enough time to thoroughly discuss each subject and allow for questions.
Once the agenda is prepared then send it to board members so that they can begin preparing. This should be done at least 2 or 3 days before the meeting. For boards that utilize a board portal it is simple as pressing a button to collect and send out all of the required documents needed for the meeting.
It is essential to determine the formality or informality your board wants its meetings to be, as this will have an effect on the meeting structure and the manner in which you address other board members. Some boards, like that use Robert’s Rules of Order which is an official system that requires the use of “Mr.” and “Madam”. Whatever method you decide to use it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the rules to ensure that you do not get caught off guard at the first meeting.
