Using a board meeting structure that is tailored to the specific needs of your company can facilitate productive discussions and make sure that all important points are documented. There are certain conventions you can adhere to but it’s also crucial to be open and flexible to any changes.
Begin the meeting by calling the meeting to order and then reviewing the agenda. The board chair will ask whether any modifications or additions are required. When all the items have been agreed on, the chair moves to accept the agenda for board discussion and action.
The board reviews reports from various committees and departments which must be presented. The portion of the board meeting typically covers progress updates budgets and financial statements as well as proposal reviews. It is recommended to limit the number of topics related to reports to avoid the meeting becoming bogged down in administrative issues.
The chair assists the board members find common ground to discuss and reach a consensus on solutions. When there aren’t any more discussions to be held or the date for the meeting is approaching, the chair will adjourn the board meeting.
Some directors can get sidetracked by new discussion topics that come up during the board meeting and could disrupt important discussions. You can mitigate this by adding the “parking area” item to the agenda where directors can bring up random topics that are important, but not the top priority. This allows the board to consider the topics and decide whether they should be further explored or added to the agenda for the next meeting.