Board meetings have the potential to be a great forum for productive discussions that advance business goals. The best boards promote lively conversations, a diversity in opinions and new insights. Meeting productivity is not guaranteed. Board members could be distracted by personal issues, technology or inexperience when organizing their meetings. It is crucial to determine the root causes of ineffective board meetings in order to ensure that meetings are conducted smoothly.
Repetition of the same issues is a frequent cause of ineffective board meetings. This happens when board members don’t understand the actions they have to be accountable for, or if they were not able to take action after previous meetings. It is crucial to keep minutes of board meetings that are concise and clear.
Another problem that is often encountered is that members are drowned in long reports and other routine items on the agenda. This can cause members to lose interest and leave the room out. To cut down on the length of meetings, it is recommended to limit report time to 25 percent of the meeting. This will make sure to leave the majority of meeting time for strategic conversations.
Also, it is important that all attendees are prepared for the meeting in advance. To achieve this the agenda and any other necessary documents should be made available to attendees prior the meeting. Board members can be better prepared for discussions by having all the relevant information available in one central location.
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