Are you getting the most from your board meetings?

Most successful companies run board meetings for their executive teams on a regular basis. If you’re not currently facilitating board discussions in this way, you are most definitely missing out on the insights and experience of your key stakeholders -and, in many respects, you will be limiting your growth.

Ideally, you should conduct board meetings every month. Where this isn’t possible, you should aim to leave no longer than 120 days between appointments. You must also bear in mind that every director within your organisation is required to attend a board meeting at least once a year.

It’s not enough for board members to simply turn up and pretend to engage with their peers. These discussions need to be managed in a way that promotes fairness, creative problem-solving, and sensible decision-making.

Here are 5 tips to help you get more from your members at every meeting.

1.?????Positive communication is key.

Differences of opinion are inevitable. But you can control the way that conflicts and cross words are dealt with in the boardroom environment.

Try to encourage positive, constructive discussions by giving every board member the chance to contribute and exploring all these contributions equally.

Alongside sharing your agendas and previous meeting minutes, it’s also a good idea to send short but regular follow-up emails in between meetings to check in with all attendees and inform them of any new information that’s interesting or relevant to your discussions. Keeping everyone in the loop can help to develop that all-important team spirit.

2.?????Choose your team carefully.

Avoid ending up with a dysfunctional board at all costs!

You should strive to create a team of skilled, knowledgeable, and well-balanced individuals who can each bring something different to the table. Inviting non-executives and key staff members into the fold can also be a great way of injecting new ideas into the mix and keeping conversations fresh.

3.?????Focus on discussions, not just presentations.

It’s crucial that every board member gets a chance to present their updates – including your finance director. However, sitting through overly long slideshows can be tedious. Be sure to save as much time as you can within the agenda for open discussions and feedback on each segment. This is, after all, the main benefit of regular board meetings – finding value in everybody’s opinions.

It may help to send out lengthy presentations ahead of time, so members have time to digest them properly before the meeting starts.

4.?????Stick to the big picture topics – not the day-to-day issues.

All too often, board members revert back to discussing operational challenges instead of focusing on strategic developments. Wherever possible, try to stick to subjects relating to your wider corporate objectives.

Conducting the meeting at a neutral offsite premises can help, as no one will be distracted by what’s happening in the offices nearby.

5.?????Record – and share – your meeting minutes

Your minutes will be an official and legal record of the key events of each meeting. Make sure your board secretary completes them thoroughly, and always share them with every member after the meeting has taken place.

For more advice on holding meaningful board meetings, take a look at our latest article.?