How to Keep Your Board Meeting Schedule on Track

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Most of us have been in an executive meeting that was off-topic or over the time limit. It might not seem like a lot when it happens just once or twice, but off-topic conversations that are repeated over and over can harm morale and cause organizational issues. It is also important to keep in mind that board meetings that are over-time can rob the board of the opportunity to discuss and decide on important action items.

The agenda is often overloaded with lengthy reports, routine tasks and other routine items. The more details you provide members, the more likely it is that they’ll read. Try to keep the reports to a minimum at board meetings, and think about asking officers and committee chairs to provide a brief summary rather than a minute-by-minute account of what they’ve done or are in the process of doing. It’s an excellent idea to use discussions on topics that aren’t scheduled for the agenda but aren’t priority to be added to the agenda as a “parking area”. This will prevent new topics from taking the spotlight from agenda items that should be the focal point of the meeting.

Following a strict agenda is the best way to ensure that the board can engage in constructive discussion and take effective decisions. The best way to do this is to begin the meeting with the most important issues and leave time at the end for participants to ask questions or raise any new items that they aren’t yet sure about. This will allow leadership to tap into collective wisdom of the board members and walk away with great new ideas that will propel your organization forward.