An agenda for board meetings is a document that can help you keep your meetings efficient and on track. Style over substance is crucial when it comes to maximizing the time your board members have to collaborate.

Begin your meeting with an official call to call the meeting to order and then an introduction by the facilitator or chair of the board. You might then move on to approve the previous meeting’s minutes or the financial report. You can also look over committee updates or administrative tasks. It’s a good idea next, to reserve some time for discussions on strategic planning and other governance issues. It could also be beneficial visit the website to include an executive session for sensitive or private topics when it’s permitted by the bylaws of your company and any applicable laws.

Throughout the meeting, be certain to listen attentively and attentively to each item. If you have any questions or concerns about the presentation in any way make sure you raise questions and let your fellow board members to respond. However, be careful not to get distracted and discuss new discussion issues that aren’t on the agenda. This could eat up the time of meetings and distract from the most important things on your board’s agenda. To avoid this you can add an “parking lot” item at the end of your agenda to encourage various topics that require more attention at a later date.

Lastly, make sure to provide your board with the agenda at least one week prior to your scheduled meeting. This will give everyone plenty of time to read and prepare for the meeting. It’s also a good idea to include the agenda along with any other supporting documents that board members need to be able to fully comprehend the subject in hand.