Your board of directors plays a vital role in the success of your community. Planning and preparation are essential to getting the most out of your board meetings. Here are a few important tips for your board meetings that can help you be more productive:

The agenda is distributed prior to the meeting. This gives board members a chance to review the agenda prior to the meeting and ask questions. It also navigate to this site allows them to prepare for the discussion.

Consider holding your board meetings in a public space like the local library, or a conference room at a local business. This will eliminate distractions, such as pets, children, and the ringing of phones, which can disrupt a conversation.

Designate someone to take the precise minutes of the meeting. This will ensure important decisions are recorded, and that the board can keep track of the discussion.

Limit the timeframe for each agenda item to keep the meeting on track and avoid tangents. If you feel that a topic on the agenda is taking too long, move it to “parking lots” for a later discussion. This will keep the main topic in the forefront.

Explain the decision-making procedure during the meeting. This will enable everyone to comprehend the discussion and be able to participate, whether through consensus or voting.

Encourage the participation of C-level officers to share their knowledge during the meeting. This will enable the board to hear directly from the people who are closest to the action and who are best equipped to give advice.