A productive board meeting requires a focused approach to managing meetings which ensures that you get the most out of every minute you’ve allocated for your gathering. It’s about staying on the right track by limiting the whims of other detours in discussion and reiterating the goals of the agenda as needed. It is also essential to have a timekeeper in place to keep the agenda moving and a person to take detailed notes to be able to review them later.

Distribute the agenda along with all relevant materials prior to the meeting to allow attendees to prepare. This will ensure that meetings running on schedule and allow your discussions to begin after everyone is up to up to speed on the pertinent topics.

Limit the time spent on routine reports and items, which tends to slow conversations and make attendees bored and disengaged. Instead concentrate on discussing strategic issues and the important issues that can propel the organization forward.

Look for patterns in your voting by proxy board of directors regular reports and transform them into things that the board can tackle during the meeting. This is a great way to motivate your board members to tackle problems, instead of just responding to a report.

Give your board members the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions during the meeting. This will make them feel appreciated and heard. It may also lead to the introduction of new ideas that might otherwise have been ignored.