Effective Board Meetings bring businesses closer to their goals and bring in expertise in collaboration, encouraging collaboration and aiding the process of making decisions. To conduct effective meetings Board members must prioritise time management and have an outlook that is focused on the future. Board members should also be aware of how meeting duration, layout and rules affect their effectiveness.

Meetings that run too long, chaotic or unclear are a waste of time. This is often due to a lack of preparedness or inadequate board portal executive team support. Board members may not understand their role in the process and could be excluded from discussions that aren’t relevant to the agenda. A board meeting that finishes in a hurry could be interpreted as a rubber stamping board that does not challenge any decision taken.

Board description buildingbettertrustboards.org meetings should always be accompanied by a clear and concise agenda and be distributed in advance of the board meeting outlining the focus of each discussion and the important issues to be discussed. The chair of the board must facilitate the meeting and lead the conversation so that all relevant issues are discussed within the time period.

A productive Board meeting is usually reflected in a list of to-dos and actions to be completed before the next meeting. Preparing for the meeting can include reviewing the materials as well as researching topics and formulating thoughtful questions or suggestions. The board should also foster the culture of accountability in its members by making sure they follow-up on every action item and decisions made at previous meetings.