boardmanagementplatform.com/the-major-barriers-to-board-meeting-productivity/
Board meetings can prove to be an excellent opportunity for productive discussions that help advance the goals of the company. The best boards encourage robust discussions, a variety of opinions and new insights. But, meeting effectiveness isn’t always assured. Board members could be distracted by personal issues, technology, or lack of organization while making plans for their meetings. It is important to identify the root causes of ineffective board meetings to ensure that meetings are conducted smoothly.
A common cause of unproductive board meetings is rehashing the same issues. This occurs when board members aren’t sure the responsibilities they have to fulfill or didn’t take action after previous meetings. It is important to keep board meeting minutes that are concise and clear.
Another issue that is common is drowning members in lengthy reports and other routine agenda items. It can quickly cause attendees to leave and become less active. To reduce the length of meetings, it is recommended that you limit the time for reports to only 25 percent and leave the rest for discussions on strategic issues.
It is also important that all attendees be prepared for the meeting beforehand. This can be achieved by communicating the agenda along with all required attachments with the attendees prior to the meeting. By having all relevant information in a single location board members are better ready for discussion and concentrate on the important topics that are at hand.
