An effective board meeting will increase productivity and decision-making improve collaboration and time effective board meeting management and bring businesses closer to their goals. For a successful meeting, you require a dynamic agenda and the best boardbook template and clear guidelines for governance.

Establish clear meeting goals for the board and then communicate the board’s goals to members prior to meeting. This will help everyone prepare and prioritize the topics for discussion. Meetings that are too long or unfocused can be avoided. Focus on issues instead of updates. Also, make sure that meetings do not exceed 30 minutes for each issue, as this will ensure that discussions are productive and reduce fatigue during meetings.

Make clear the way in which decisions will be taken during the meeting. Encourage an open dialogue, respecting different opinions. However, be open about difficult subjects and bad news. If a formal vote procedure is required, make sure the procedure is clearly explained and that a certain amount of votes are needed to make a decision. The results of the vote can be recorded accurately in the meeting’s minutes which allows for follow-up and accountability.

After the meeting has concluded take a moment to review the decisions that were made and create action items for each chief to present to their departments. This will help to reinforce the new strategies agreed upon and ensure that every department is implementing these goals. Also, periodically review and assess the effectiveness of these actions at subsequent meetings in order to establish an environment of accountability and ensure everyone is following through.