A clear method of planning meetings is essential for productive board meetings. This will ensure that you gain the most benefit from every minute of your meeting. It’s about staying on the right track, reigning in the whims of other detours in discussion and reiterating the agenda’s goals when necessary. It also requires a precise timekeeper who keeps the agenda in motion and someone who is tasked with taking detailed minutes so that everyone can examine them later.

Distribute the agenda and all relevant materials prior to the meeting so attendees are able to prepare. This will ensure that meetings on time and allow discussions to begin once everyone is at with the current topics.

Reduce the amount of time spent on routine and reports, which tend to drag down discussions and cause attendees to feel bored and disengaged. Instead concentrate on discussions about strategic issues and key issues that can propel the organization forward.

Look for patterns in your routine reports and turn them into things https://boardroomonline.org/can-directors-vote-by-proxy for the board to tackle during the meeting. This is an excellent way to inspire your board members to work on solving problems, instead of just responding to a report.

Give your board members a chance to express their ideas and opinions during the meeting. This will make them feel valued and heard, and can result in the introduction of new ideas that would otherwise have been ignored.