There is no doubt that coordinating a board-level meeting can be a long, frustrating task. If your meetings lack focus, structure or energy, it can cost you in the form of missed opportunities as well as lost productivity. If you’re looking to host a an excellent board meeting, there are some easy things you can do to ensure that your directors are participating actively.
At a minimum, once a year, Evaluate Your Meetings
Gathering feedback is among the most effective methods to improve the quality of meetings. After a few of your meetings you can ask your board members to take two sticky notes and write „+” on the parts which were satisfactory and „-” on areas that could be improved. Then, ask them to put the notes onto a poster which they can put on the door of the meeting, allowing everyone to discern what needs to be changed.
Manage Your Time
Keep your meetings as short as you can to ensure you have enough time to engage in real discussions and decision-making. Beware of the temptation to include lengthy reports and „have to” items in your agenda. Consider breaking down the extensive information from your board’s book into yearsboard.com smaller topics for discussion. Consider having your directors conduct their own research prior the meeting and bring questions prepared to be discussed.
Board meetings can also be a way to boost team energy and encourage to take action. The addition of „mission moments” to the meetingthe time when board members can hear about the experiences of others or how your organization is making an impact on the lives of people is an immense energy boost for the group.