A well-defined strategic board agenda is the framework to run every meeting. It makes sure that every discussion achieves its goal and prevents getting lost in the details. However, planning a successful strategic board meeting takes more than just the perfect format for your agenda. Board members must also be prepared and ready to participate in productive discussions.
Reading the board materials before the meeting is among the most beneficial things a board member could do to ensure a successful event. By doing this they can get acquainted with the information and know what they’d like to ask during the meeting. This is a great way to increase participation by allowing everyone’s unique viewpoint to be brought to the table.
Another crucial aspect in preparing for a productive strategic board meeting is to concentrate on the content and not the structure. Board meetings must be effective and focused. Therefore, it is important to arrange topics in a systematic manner. Begin with the most important and urgent ones. Then, move on to topics that build upon those. Don’t forget, too, to reserve a part of the meeting to discuss any new freshboardroom.com business. This is the perfect opportunity for board members to engage in generative discussions that will help propel the organization forward.
With more hands-on work being required of Boards over the past few years it is not uncommon for meetings to veer off topic and become longer than is necessary. One way to avoid this from happening is to keep the information on a board dashboard at the strategic level and prioritize it.