How to Have Effective Board Meetings

https://buildingbettertrustboards.org/govenda-boardroom-review/

Board meetings are a great chance for directors of non-profit organizations to discuss a broad range of issues. The topics can range from evaluating organizational performance to discussing how the organization can take the next step in its future plans. Nonprofits depend on board members with diverse backgrounds and experience to guide them to success.

In order to have a productive board meeting, it’s crucial that everyone is prepared and has read relevant documentation prior to the time. Agendas should be created in collaboration and shared with the board members prior to the meeting to allow participants time to review the materials and prepare for discussions. Nothing renders a meeting ineffective like having people scramble to comprehend the key points simultaneously and it is essential that agendas for meetings contain enough information for participants to fully participate.

Making clear the criteria for decision-making and sharing them with all participants helps the board align discussions toward a common goal. This can help avoid tangential discussions that eat the time of meetings and prevent the board from achieving a consensus or deciding on crucial issues. Technology tools that permit real-time collaboration make it much easier for board members to communicate with each members and share documents even when they are geographically dispersed.

The right mix of board member can help create a more productive atmosphere and make meetings more lively. It is crucial to select a mixture of optimism with pessimism, age with youth, and experience with fresh ideas. Changes in the location of the meeting or the time of day can also help to energize the discussion. This is because it will alter the atmosphere and help participants break out of their routines. Also, assessing the quality of meetings at least once a year is crucial to making improvements. To do this, hand each board member two sticky notes and ask them to evaluate their overall satisfaction the meetings on a scale of + (what is good)) to -(what requires improvement).