Board meetings are an essential part of any successful business. With the right preparation and follow-up, your board of directors is able to make decisions that push the company forward. Insisting on the agenda and sticking to it is the best method to boost the efficiency of your board. This will ensure that the meeting is smooth and that all important issues are thoroughly discussed.

Plan and distribute an agenda for the board meeting in advance. This allows board members to review the agenda and arrive at the meeting prepared to contribute their thoughts. This also ensures that the board members are on the same page in so in terms of what needs to be covered and when.

Start at the right time. This helps everyone get energized and engaged and can motivate attendees to be punctual. It can be tempting for members of committees to spend all of their time reading reports. However, this is usually a waste of time because the chairs of the committee should have already reviewed these reports prior to the meeting.

Set time limits for each topic and keep the discussion on those items on the agenda. This shows respect for board members’ commitment to their time and ensures that the most important discussions are held during the meeting. Consent agendas allow for non-controversial issues to be voted upon, allowing more time at the board meeting to focus on strategic issues.

Keep the minutes as clear as you can. Use a template that is designed around the agenda. Include things like the names of the people who are present, the headings for the topics to be discussed, and the draft resolution language to be used for the decisions. Visual board room tips tools for managing projects can help you take notes in the same way as the discussion on the board and keep them organized afterward to make it easy to distribute.