Are your board meetings a turn-off or a turn-on for board members? Are they disorganized or poorly run? Do they fail to encourage active discussion? Do they have little compelling purpose?
If board members feel board meetings are a waste of time, is it likely they won’t be engaged during the meeting? And perhaps developing a pattern of skipping meetings altogether?
Here are five tips from my book, Stop The Nonprofit Board Blame Game, that will help increase meeting productivity and stimulate active engagement.
Ensure that meetings are well planned and that the chair is prepared.
Structure agendas so that time is devoted to priority topics, such as the status of a strategic goal or a challenge that board insight could help resolve.
Welcome dialogue and questions. Encourage the use of facilitation techniques by the board chair to ensure that everyone participates.
Allow for social interaction either before or after meetings. Everyone likes opportunities to socialize, and this important activity helps reinforce personal connections.
Solicit board members suggestions for how to improve meetings so that they stimulate engagement.
Making sure your board meetings are stimulating, creating a sense of accomplishment, and engaging will motive board members to attend. What other ideas do you have for making sure board members feel board meetings are productive and worth the time to attend?