For organizations
Knowledge Center: Governance & Organization
Knowledge Center: Governance & Organization
How to hold efficient meetings
Many boards meet for too long, too often, or discuss the wrong things. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few adjustments, meetings can become something people look forward to rather than dread.
Many boards meet for too long, too often, or discuss the wrong things. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few adjustments, meetings can become something people look forward to rather than dread.
Send the agenda in advance
An agenda that pops up in an app five minutes before the meeting isn't really an agenda. Send it at least three days beforehand, including any supporting documents to be discussed.
Specify the purpose of each agenda item: to inform, to discuss, or to decide. This saves a huge amount of time. Items involving only information sharing can often be handled via a quick email—they don't need to be on the agenda.
Always start on time
It sounds simple, but many boards habitually start late because they are waiting for latecomers. That’s unfair to those who arrived on time and rewards unpunctuality.
Start on time. Anyone arriving late can simply read the minutes later.
Stick to the agenda
The biggest time-waster in meetings is getting sidetracked. A chairperson who keeps the meeting on track isn't being a killjoy—it’s their job.
If a topic turns out to be bigger than expected, note it down as an action item for a separate session. Not everything needs to be resolved in the same meeting.
Make decisions explicit
At the end of each agenda item, ask: what is the decision? Who is doing what, and by when? Have the secretary summarize this aloud before moving on. This prevents everyone from leaving the meeting with a different understanding of what was agreed upon.
Limit the frequency of meetings
For most small organizations, one meeting a month is enough. Urgent matters can be handled via email or a brief consultation. Hold fewer meetings, but make them better.
Consider limiting the duration: a ninety-minute meeting with a tight agenda works better than an open-ended three-hour session where all sorts of topics come up.
Ensure good minutes are kept.
Minutes are not a verbatim transcript—they are a summary of decisions and action items. Who goes back later to read everything that was said? Exactly: no one. What everyone *does* need to know is what was decided and who is handling what.
Send out the minutes within a week of the meeting. The longer you wait, the less accurate they become.
Next step
Effective meetings are one step. The next is ensuring that, as a board, you also keep thinking strategically about your organization's direction, rather than just focusing on the issues of the moment.