Your Roadmap Agenda to Board Meeting Success

An agenda is like a roadmap that constitutes the success of a meeting. Having an agenda ensures that the board meeting is fruitful and productive for all participants.

Let’s put it this way: Imagine yourself in the past, lost in the farthest reaches of the Arctic when the Northwest Passage was still a mystical body of open water. Traveling between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean is challenging, perilous, and even deadly.

To prevent yourself from being lost and exposed to danger, an essential item such as a map in this scenario is critical to survival.

A map, or an agenda, is similarly critical to running successful board meetings. As such, the agenda is arguably the most important part of a board meeting.

Why Do You Need an Agenda in Board Meetings?

A board meeting agenda is an actionable framework. In fact, this helps guide the meetings in a specified direction. Conversely, meetings without agendas tend to touch on all kinds of topics without ever diligently focusing on the areas critical to the business.

A lack of agenda also sends a bad example to other board members because it indicates poor organization. Good organization is critical to making important decisions and pushing business-focused topics forward.

How to Create an Effective Agenda?

1. Equip yourself with an agenda template

A well-designed template will help you build an effective agenda that’s readable and easy to follow.

An agenda template will also be handy for every future meeting. The upside of a template is that it can be customized to fit a variety of different meetings.

2. Narrow down the list of topics and matters to be discussed

When preparing the agenda for a board meeting, prioritize all pressing issues according to the company’s short- and long-term needs.

First, establish the overarching goal of the board meeting.

Answer these questions:

• What’s the meeting’s objective? (information-sharing, decision-making, etc.)
• Is voting involved?
• Are there any crucial decisions to be made or topics to be discussed?

Once you’ve decided on the goal of the meeting, it’s easier to narrow down the list of topics that will further the deliberations toward achieving the goal.

For example, if you know there will be decisions made through voting, you have to set aside a respective time slot on the agenda and facilitate voting for remote attendees.

Specific goals and objectives for board meetings also ensure that the business value of the meeting is tangible. In that setting, engagement, contribution, and collaboration are higher among all participants.

Thus, remember to end every board meeting with deliverables.

Sample post-meeting deliverables:

• Board meeting report with a summary (with insights, takeaways, action items)
• An actionable plan with next steps
• Meeting minutes

3. Assign defined time slots to each topic on the agenda

Think about time slots carefully. Pressing matters should be given enough time for deliberations to let board members work out actionable conclusions.

But that doesn’t mean other matters can be just touched on. Arranging time slots will help other board members and meeting participants prepare for every topic and keep discussions on-point.

With initial board meetings, it might be challenging to assign time slots for each agenda item accurately. The key is to work out a time slot that lets all participants voice their concerns and opinions and arrive at a conclusion.

Think of time slots as the necessary time to get from point A to point B in an organized and structured manner.

4. Prepare board packs

Every board meeting agenda should be supported by supplementary documents, i.e., a board pack, with reports, documents, summaries, and other materials that add context to the meeting and give board members detailed information regarding the company’s performance.

When preparing board packs, write down the title of every document to be included. Then assign reference numbers to each title. As you create the agenda, put in the titles and their corresponding numbers. Refer to the numbers during the meeting for easier and more efficient navigation.

5. Distribute the agenda and send notifications

In advance, sending a board pack will let other board members familiarize themselves with the board meeting’s content and decide which topics to discuss in greater detail.

Look for board portal solutions with convenient distribution features such as attendance status to streamline the organizational process.

Be sure of the content of your agenda before sending it. Double or even triple-check the plan and materials in the board pack. This way, you’ll avoid last-minute changes and give board members enough time to go over the materials.

Note: If you need to introduce changes, always notify all participants.

Send invitations and reminders to all the board meeting attendees to let them plan and include the meeting in their schedule. Think of it as notifying your shipmates that you’re sailing out.

Note: Consider reminding the participants about the meeting a day before.

Best Practices for Agenda in Board Meetings

Follow the agenda

You wouldn’t deviate from the coordinates when sailing through treacherous waters of the Arctic. The same goes for a board meeting — control the flow and the pace. Don’t let the discussion stray beyond the topic at hand.

Encourage all attendees to participate

An effective board meeting showcases insights from all participants, allowing them to engage in discussions and understanding the meeting’s deliverables.

Remind attendees about the rules of conduct

Formal rules of conduct will help streamline the meeting. Ensure voicing out every member’s opinion.

Agenda Determines the Success of a Board Meeting

A clear, organized, and detailed agenda helps keep a board meeting efficient, eliminating off-topic discussions and increasing the quality of deliverables. A board portal software enables you to create a compelling agenda, build a robust board pack, and run a successful board meeting.