Board meetings are an ideal opportunity to have productive discussions that can help the business achieve its goals. The best boards promote lively conversations and a range of opinions that can lead to fresh ideas. The efficiency of meetings is not 100% guaranteed. Board members are often distracted by personal matters or technology, or even a lack of organisation when making plans for their meetings. It is crucial to identify the causes of unproductive board meetings to ensure that the meetings run smoothly.
Repetition of the same topics is a common cause for ineffective board meetings. This is because board members do not understand the actions they have to be accountable for, or when they failed to take action following previous meetings. It is important to keep minutes of board meetings that are concise and clear.
Another issue that is common is drowning members in long reports and other agenda items that are routine. This can cause members to become disengaged and then check out. To shorten the duration of meetings, it is suggested to limit the time for reports to 25% and leave the majority for strategic discussions.
It is also essential to ensure that all participants are prepared for the meeting prior to the meeting. To do this the agenda and any other relevant attachments should be distributed to attendees prior to the meeting. Board members are better prepared for meetings by having all the relevant information in one place.
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