Tips for a Successful Board Meeting

Running a successful board meeting takes intention and thoughtful planning. There are certain tried and true tips that will help a YSO leader get the best outcome possible from these meetings. Implementing a few of these tips might make a big difference in the efficiency, effectiveness, feeling of belonging, and engagement of your board. 

• Start the meeting on time – Board members are likely volunteering their time and will appreciate your respect for their busy schedules. 
• Set expectations – Collaborate with board members to define a set of expectations for how board meetings are run and how members participate. Review the expectations before each meeting begins to ensure everyone is on the same page. 
• Introduce new attendees – Welcome new attendees and provide them a brief moment to introduce themselves and share their intent for joining the meeting. This can help new attendees feel welcome and connected to the group, increasing the chances that they’ll return to future meetings.
• Create a moment of connection – Set aside a few minutes for board members to connect with and learn about each other. Building relationships with other board members can help drive a sense of belonging to the team while driving engagement. 
• Begin each meeting with appreciations and triumphs – Encourage board members to share any appreciations or triumphs they may have since the last meeting. Appreciations help board members recognize others involved in the organization for great work they accomplished. A triumph could be a story about a personal accomplishment that ended with a successful outcome.
  • Ex: Appreciation – I really appreciated the Manager of Coach Development for sending out a few great resources to our coaches to help them better focus on a positive team culture. 
  • Ex: Triumph – I want to celebrate our successful fundraising auction last month that has made it possible for us to help families out with the rising costs of equipment next season!
• Stick to the agenda – It’s easy for a meeting to go off track which can affect the ability to cover important topics and be frustrating for board members. Work hard to stick to the agenda. If an important new item comes up, either target that for the next meeting, or if it is urgent, get the board’s approval to talk about that for a specific amount of time so it will not result in other important items being missed. If there are major decisions to be made that require everyone’s input, engage the board in between meetings and gather thoughts via email or an online platform. Doing so can help avoid a lengthy discussion that can derail an agenda. PCA’s General Board Meeting Sample Agenda provides further guidance on what an agenda could look like.
• Get everyone’s input – Not all board members will be as vocal as others. You may need to invite the less vocal members to share their opinions or provide additional ways for them to do so (i.e. an online survey to gather results, one-on-one check-ins). 
• End the meeting on time – If possible, keep the meeting under two hours. Aim to end at the time stated on the agenda. Board members may be reluctant to attend meetings if they think each one will run far behind schedule. If necessary, place time limits on the debate of certain issues. If the issues cannot be resolved within that time, continue discussion on the issue at the next meeting. 
• Assign OPURS to action items – During a meeting, when action items come up, assign OPURs (One Person Ultimately Responsible) to the task. This board member will be responsible for the task execution and should engage others to support as necessary. They will be responsible for presenting on progress or completion of the task at next meeting.
• Gather Feedback – Embrace a culture of feedback and provide board members avenues to share their thoughts on board meetings once a quarter. You may receive helpful insight to improve board meetings while helping board members feel more ownership over their time.