The first step to a successful meeting is to design an agenda that is effective. The board meeting agenda does not have to be a set document that is used repeatedly time. Use the agenda to adjust the way you run your meetings to gain the most value out of your board.
The agenda of the board meeting must clearly define the purpose of the meeting, so that it does not end up waste of time and ensure that all relevant topics are discussed. The agenda should also include the attendees required and optional, so that they can make arrangements to accommodate them. It is recommended to share the agenda with board members in advance to give them time to look over the topics and plan for your meeting.
It is essential to include an agenda section for any new business to ensure that board members can bring any concerns or issues that were not addressed at the previous meeting. In the same way, the old business section allows board members to review unresolved issues and decide how to proceed. It is also helpful to have a committee reports section on the agenda of board meetings so that the board can get valuable information from different committees on specific aspects of their work.
The final item of the board meeting agenda will give the Board to discuss any items that were not on the Consent Agenda and to formally approve the meeting minutes. This will eliminate any discrepancies and maintain accountability in the minutes of meetings.