Board meeting preparation involves a lot of reading, taking notes, thinking/contemplating, and seeking out and asking for additional information. This increases the efficiency of the board and allows them to concentrate more on the strategy, and less time on procedural issues. This also helps reduce the anxiety that directors experience when they attend meetings that are long or contain a lot of information and do not provide clear action steps.
The best way to prepare for the board of directors’ meeting is to go through the agenda in advance and pay attention to the most important topics. Go through the agenda and rank each item according to its importance, urgency and alignment with your company’s strategic goals. To improve and finalize the top priorities, ask for input from your board chair or CEO. Create the agenda for the meeting to ensure that the most important issues are discussed first and in depth. This will ensure that the board leaves the meeting with a clear awareness of the crucial decisions to be taken.
Also, make sure to include any information regarding the boardroomsystems net action items that were discussed during the previous board meeting and confirm that all the necessary information was provided by the presenters. It’s also crucial to confirm that all participants can access the meeting via phone, video or other online platforms. Distribute the board pack and agenda to all participants after they are finalized. It is recommended to do this one week before the meeting so that participants have enough time to look over and request modifications.