Running a Successful Board Meeting

Successfully running a board meeting requires meticulous planning, preparation and sharing of agenda items prior to the date of the meeting. It also requires a focus on the discussion topics and a clear record and documentation of the decisions and actions taken. This ensures productive meetings and responsible follow-up that bring companies closer to their goals.

It is important to be familiar with the knowledge, preferences and expectations of each board member to ensure that your meetings be as efficient and productive as you can. This helps you to tailor the agenda and encourage active participation. Knowing the members of your board can help you decide on the best time to hold meetings and provides a convenient location for discussions.

Limiting the time of board meetings to a minimum is crucial for efficiency and effectiveness, therefore prioritizing the most important concerns is essential. As a rule, limit the number of topics discussed during the meeting to two topics per one hour. Each topic should be allowed up to 30 minutes. If the company is in trouble, it might be better to focus on discussing future plans and hope rather than presenting updates.

All documents (including reports from committees staff reports, committee reports, Board packs as well as any documents that help contextualize decisions) should be readily accessible and available prior to the meeting to increase Board participation. Make sure that all these materials are uploaded to your board portal and accessible to the Board prior to the time of the meeting and also during the meeting the meeting itself.

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