An agenda for board meetings is a plan to help you keep your meetings efficient and on time. The importance of substance over fashion when it comes down to maximizing the time your board members need to collaborate.

Begin with a call for order and an introduction by the board chair or facilitator to officially open your meeting. You may then proceed to accept the minutes of the previous meeting or the financial report. You may also discuss the latest updates to the committee or other administrative tasks. It’s a good idea to create a separate section for strategic planning discussions or other governance concerns. You might also include an executive session on sensitive or sensitive topics as long as it is allowed by your organization’s bylaws and applicable laws.

Listen carefully and thoughtfully at every point. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the presentation in any way, be sure to raise them and allow your fellow board members to respond. But be cautious not to get side-tracked and begin to discuss discussion subjects that don’t belong on the agenda. This can eat up the time of meetings and distract from the most important topics on your board’s agenda. You can avoid this by adding an “parking area” item at the top of your agenda. This will allow you to push various topics off for an undetermined time.

Last but not least, ensure that you provide your board the agenda at least a week prior the board meeting schedule meeting. This will allow everyone plenty of time to read and prepare for the meeting. It’s also a great idea to include the meeting agenda with any supporting documents that board members will require to fully comprehend the subject at hand.