A board meeting agenda sets the tone and format of your board meetings. A well-planned agenda will help you avoid common mistakes that can impede productivity and result in poor decisions.
The first item on a board meeting agenda should be “Call to Order and Time”. The chairperson will call the board to bring the meeting to order and introduce new members or make other opening remarks. It is also a time to discuss any changes to the agenda, and also to take note of the previous minutes.
Each item on a meeting agenda should include a brief explanation of what is expected during discussion and a brief synopsis of any supporting documents. This information is included in advance to cut down on time and ensure that all attendees are aware of the background material. It also keeps discussions on track and productive.
Prioritize the agenda items for your board by relevance, urgency and alignment with your strategy objectives. This will help you save time by not wasting your time on items that are not important or have little impact. If you’re faced with a lot of agenda items, you should consider scheduling a follow-up session or assigning the items to committees that specialize in the subject to study in greater depth.
Additionally, you should set realistic time frames for each agenda item. This will stop discussions from being too long and allow you to conclude your meeting at the right time. It’s important to note that these timeframes are only guidelines, and it’s acceptable to modify them if needed during the meeting. You might want to give more time to your board next time if they tend to have a lot of questions on the same topic.