How to Get the Most Out of Board of Directors Meetings

The board of directors is a vital organ that makes decisions and oversees the company’s performance as well as its strategic direction. To make informed decisions, it is important that the board stays in contact with the top executives of the company and stays up-to-date with the latest reports and information. Board meetings are a great way to do this.

Teleconferences are more and more common as a growing number people work remotely. Meetings can be held as often as once a week or once a year.

When preparing your next board meeting, think about making available a portal with latest board materials as well as pre-saved agendas to help your directors quickly locate what they require and stay focused on the most important discussions. Encourage discussion among the board members prior to the meeting to discuss any concerns or questions to ensure that the time can be used to discuss strategy rather than reading through a plethora of reports.

Board members spend the majority of their time discussing the performance of the organization reviewing any major updates since my company the last meeting, discussing key performance indicators (KPIs) and looking into the future strategies. The board may also review and decide on a list of previous or new business items. Following this the board will normally suspend the meeting.