Board meetings are a great way to get everyone’s energy up and gain new insights from members with diverse backgrounds. However, maintaining the momentum is more than just getting people in the same room together.
Board members must feel that they are able to trust each other enough to be candid and to ask difficult questions. This can only happen through an atmosphere of transparency and openness. It is essential to create an environment where board meetings are appreciated and can be as productive as is possible.
The agenda of the board must be clear to directors what they need to do to reach their goals. The agenda should be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected events or the need to change the order of items. The board should also be given the chance to discuss any new business issues.
When it comes time to discuss new business, a competent board chair will not present reports and instead focus on encouraging discussion with the whole group. This will not only help save time but it will help to create a positive atmosphere which the board members can ask difficult questions of the management.
Another method of encouraging discussion is to include a parking lot on the agenda, which allows for small, unrelated topics to be discussed, however, it won’t distract from most important issues to be discussed. Being distracted by irrelevant discussions can take up the time for meetings and stop boardroomcommunity.com/full-guide-to-better-board-meetings/ board members from taking action.