Board meetings are a common occurrence in any corporation. The board members assemble to talk about the most important subjects that could help business development. It is important that a meeting has direction and a list of topics to address.
What is a board meeting agenda?
A board meeting agenda is a list of the subjects that will be discussed during the meeting. It is a combination of the most important and urgent topics that require the insight of the company’s most prominent figures. This agenda should be prepared before each meeting takes place to ensure clear communication and a sense of direction.
How to create an informative board meeting agenda?
There are a few necessary steps to create a board meeting agenda that will serve the board members well.
- Plan all meeting stages ahead of time. When faced with the issue of “How to create an agenda for a board meeting,” we need to focus on the description of all of the meeting stages. Talking about the last meeting, discussing current affairs, and plans for the future include topics that should be incorporated into the agenda.
- Clearly formulate meeting purposes. Main meeting objectives need to be formulated and understandable for all of the board members. It is the core of the meeting and the reason for assembling the board members — understanding the “why” is crucial.
- Dedicate a limited time slot to the discussion. A time limit imposed on the meeting can improve its quality as the members will choose their words carefully and provide the other members with only pertinent data. All meetings eventually need to end, and the items discussed need resolution or, at least, clear steps for taking action. This is why the members will do anything in their might to get their ideas into a time slot.
- Share the meeting agenda in advance. One of the most important steps in creating your agenda for a board meeting is to share it with the board members before the meeting. This gives them additional time to prepare their talking points and to organize their timetable to do so.
Additional tips for a successful board meeting preparation
You could take a few additional actions to ensure that your board meeting preparation is successful.
- Share helpful materials. Apart from the agenda, share every available document connected to the subject of the upcoming meeting. This provides the board members with additional insight into the meeting itself.
- Focus on the brevity of your agenda. Is it understandable for everyone involved? Would it be understandable for someone five (5) years in the future? Try to phrase your thoughts for the agenda in the simplest possible terms to avoid miscommunication.
- Create or use ready-made templates for agendas. Templates could cut the preparation time in half, and you won’t have to wonder about how to write an agenda for a board meeting ever again. Board portals provide their users with these types of tools.
How can board portals help?
Software solutions like board portals have been created to help you craft the best possible board meeting agenda. They also provide their users with a variety of tools that ensure the high quality of your agenda.
- Through the use of board portals, you can share links to the documents connected to your agenda. This helps in providing the board members with the necessary data before the meeting takes place.
- You can incorporate the links to the documents in your agenda. This way, everything will be connected and easily backtracked.
- One of the most important features of board portals is security. No unauthorized personnel will be able to look at the prepared data.
Using board portals will help you create your agenda and simplify the process of sharing it with board members. You will be able to use templates and to help protect documents from a security breach.