4 ways to prepare for your next board meeting

Meeting prep can start anywhere from months to weeks in ahead of time depending on the size and frequency of these types of gatherings, but there are few ways to ease the stress of the big day by remembering some important pieces of advice that can help get even the savviest planner keep their head above water.

Set an agenda – and stick to it.

An agenda plays a huge part in meetings – especially for formal board meetings. Unlike day-to-day business meetings, a board meeting usually requires a much more detailed to-do list since the discussions will be focusing on current and future state of the entire association. However, while it’s one thing to create meeting agenda; it’s a completely different thing to follow it. When you run a board meeting, cover the agenda as early on as possible. This can help ensure that the group doesn’t veer off on tangents – or at least, not as frequently. There is never a surefire way to keep the discussion from drifting, but when it does, it’s important to quickly bring the discussion back in line and table irrelevant issues for another meeting.

Attendees need time to prep, too.

No one likes to walk into any sort of business engagement completely blind. Meeting materials typically play an integral part for any sort of important meeting, but handing all the materials out the day of arrival takes a huge cut out of the efficiency of the meeting. Think of it as handing out a homework assignment at the same time it is due. Board members should know what needs to be done ahead of time and have plenty of time to look over the information so that they are able to be active participants rather than scrambling to get the facts while the meeting is in session.

Don’t try to tackle every issue.

A common mistake that members often make, is to think of board meetings as the place to take really hard questions and really difficult problems and try to discuss them all at once. Realistically, one board meeting is never going to be able to solve all the issues they are currently facing. Rather than putting so much pressure on attendees, concentrate on two to three strategic topics. These topics can include anything from membership to budget – just not An entire issue buffet.

Schedule follow-up meetings.

As the board meeting nears its end, this can be an opportune time to plan any informal meetings to discuss topics that unexpectedly arise or became too lengthy during meeting. This is a great way to make sure all the bases are being covered and business is being handled by the appropriate members until the next board meeting.