The result of a successful board meeting depends directly on the quality of the preparations. First and foremost in this preparation process is the creation of the board meeting agenda. It is a framework that presents the topic and pace of the entire meeting, as well as the primary and secondary objectives of the life of the company. In this article you will learn how to prepare for a board meeting agenda.
How to draw up an effective agenda: expert tips
Modern companies are trying to make the organization of corporate activities as simple as possible, and therefore increasingly often use special software in the form of virtual boards or platforms. The tools of these virtual platforms are also suitable for creating agendas and general planning of the company’s work. But for the use of these tools to be only beneficial, it is also important to adhere to some general expert advice on agenda-setting. We suggest taking the following tips into consideration:
- Take a holistic approach. To make the agenda for a board meeting as useful as possible, consider not only the urgent issues that need to be addressed for the good of the company. the agenda should also consider the company’s overall growth strategies and fit in with long-term and short-term plans.
- Try to take a personalized approach to agenda setting. It’s easiest to use standard templates for writing meetings and board meeting plans. But that doesn’t mean that every organizational document should be a copy of the previous version with minor changes. Use templates for agendas, but always make individual differences – specify a specific purpose and issues that do not need to be addressed by calling a board meeting.
- Apply time management skills. To make sure the board meeting is as efficient as possible, it’s important to consider the time commitment of each issue when drafting the agenda. It will also help to make a list of priority items and less significant items, and to organize each item with equal efficiency.
- Discuss agenda items in advance. Using virtual whiteboard tools or board organizing platforms, you can have a preliminary discussion of the agenda. In this way, you can plan the meeting based on the top priorities.
- Give the meeting participants a heads-up. This can be done in more than just a preliminary discussion of the draft agenda. Once all agenda items have been agreed upon, it is recommended that the meeting plan be sent to each participant individually, indicating not only the items to be discussed, but also the responsibilities of each meeting participant, time for discussion and decision-making, materials that will be needed during the meeting, and more.
- Pay proper attention to formatting. The board meeting agenda is an important corporate document, so don’t ignore the general standards of paperwork that apply in every company. Focus on keeping all information as concise and clear as possible. Board portal tools can help with this.
We hope that our simple but effective tips will help your company take board meetings to the next level.