Best Practices for Board of Directors Meetings

Board of directors meetings are the opportunity for a corporation or a non-profit organization to discuss and debate strategic decisions. The board’s meetings are a crucial aspect of a business’s governance setting the stage for future growth and success. By adhering to a set of best practices you can ensure that your board’s agenda is focused and productive, resulting in productive discussions that help support the growth of your organization.

A board meeting that is successful starts by clearly defining its objectives and ensuring the legal aspects are taken into consideration. This includes provisions in the governance documents that define limits on participation and attendance of members with conflicting interests or adversarial claims, as well as rules for those who have only observer status.

Discussion of key business matters is an essential part of any board meeting, which includes reviewing and Board and Room Software approving financial reports and addressing major policy issues. The agenda should include time for board members to consider their current performance and ways they can improve.

Inadequate planning and poor communication can result in a haphazard meeting with a sloppy agenda that does not address essential business requirements. A well-planned agenda and a clear record of the meeting can reduce the risk of miscommunications and disagreements, and also ensure that all decisions are taken in a legally-sound and informed way. In addition the board should be careful not to getting distracted by new discussion topics that are not on the agenda’s top agenda by establishing a «parking lot» for these items at the end of the agenda.