The agenda for board meetings sets the tone and structure for your board meetings. A well-planned agenda will help you avoid common pitfalls that can impede productivity and cause poor decisions.

The first item on the agenda of a board’s meeting should be “Calling to Order and Time”. This is when the chairperson calls the board to order or introduces new members or gives other opening remarks. It’s also a good opportunity to discuss any changes to the agenda and to approve any minutes that have been approved previously.

Each item on the agenda for a board meeting should include a brief explanation of what is expected during the discussion and a brief summary of any supporting materials. Including this information upfront saves time during the meeting and ensures everyone is able to access essential background information. It also helps keep the discussion focused and productive.

Prioritize your board agenda items according to their importance, urgency and alignment with your strategy objectives. This will save you time by not wasting your time on things that aren’t important or have little impact. If you have a large number of agenda items to discuss, consider holding a follow-up session or assigning the items to committees specialized in exploring more deeply.

Lastly, allocate realistic timeframes for each agenda boardchatroom.com/contract-management-process-steps item. This will prevent discussions from running over the time limit and allow you the ability to adjourn your meeting at the right time. These timeframes should only be used as guidelines. It is acceptable to alter them if necessary during the meeting. For instance, if recognize that your board tends to ask lots of questions about one particular subject, you may prefer to give it a bit more time the next time.