Avoid These Mistakes When Designing Your Board Meeting Agenda

An organized agenda is vital for efficient meetings. But an agenda on its own doesn’t guarantee a productive discussion or decisions. Board leaders must be aware of common mistakes that could hinder the effectiveness of meetings in order to achieve desired results.

The overflow of subjects on the agenda could lead to rushed discussions and a lack of time is given to each item. To prevent this, prioritize items in accordance with urgency and importance and take into consideration whether certain boardchatroom.com topics can be moved to committee sessions or future board meetings to conduct a more thorough investigation.

Set time limits for each item on the agenda. This will allow your board to stay on track and ensure that each issue is given proper consideration. Be realistic in your time estimates and look at your past experiences of meetings that ran on time to determine what is feasible in a single meeting.

It is recommended to share the agenda of the board meeting at least a couple of days or at least 24 hour before the meeting. This gives board members an opportunity to read relevant documents before the meeting. Some organizations have the form of sign-in to confirm attendance.

Define clearly how decisions will be made for each item on the agenda, such as through consensus or voting. This will prevent confusion and miscommunication during the discussion. If a topic is controversial or a hot-button issue be sure to state that the board will be voting unanimously instead of splitting votes.