Effective Board Meetings
Effective Board Meetings promote the strategic vision and management of an organization. Meeting structure the agenda, the board member preparation, and meeting length and design are all crucial to optimizing the effectiveness of board meetings. Additionally, meeting minutes as well as follow-up on action items and the implementation of decisions are essential to documenting institutional memory and providing a clear record of board decisions (BoardEffect).
A regular schedule of board meetings will provide an environment to allow the board discuss and deliberate strategic issues that are important for the organization’s success in the long-term. A well-crafted agenda for board meetings and simplified distribution will guarantee productive sessions. It is crucial that all board members receive the meeting materials well in advance, so that they have sufficient time to review them and to prepare for discussion.
The first item at any board meeting should be an overview and update on the organization’s performance since the last meeting. This is a great chance to highlight major accomplishments and milestones, and to discuss areas to improve.
The board blog here buildingbettertrustboards.org/what-makes-a-board-meeting-effective/ should then consider strategies and come up with the implementation plan that will move forward. The board should also come up with concrete metrics to assess the effectiveness of these strategic plans, including specific key performance indicators that are aligned with organizational goals.