Board Meeting Agenda Template: Organizing Board Discussions

We’ve all been there at least once — in a meeting that goes off the rails, filled with off-topic conversations, running way longer than it’s supposed to.

All the major decisions of an organization are made in board meetings, so it is vital to organize them to be as efficient and productive as possible.

Successful meetings start with a well-planned agenda, and making it is a very responsible task. However, it doesn’t need to be a stressful and challenging process. With a good board meeting agenda template, you can quickly structure, organize, and schedule the next meeting of the board of directors and keep the company on the right track.

Read on for our guide to making a professional meeting agenda, and scroll for our free board meeting agenda template we use here at Plai.

How to structure a professional board meeting agenda template

Board meeting agenda templates may vary depending on the purpose of the meeting (annual meeting, emergency meeting, discussing new project…). Regardless, they all have the same structure that should be followed.

Use a clear and concise format

Board meetings have very clear objectives and goals. Thus, the format of the meeting should also be simple and answer the following questions:

• What are we discussing?
• Who is involved?
• When does the meeting take place?

Use bullet points to lay out the agenda items, and if more clarification is needed for each topic, include links and attachments of key documents relevant to the matter.

Prioritize agenda items based on importance and urgency

When writing a board meeting agenda, prioritize the topics the same way you would in a team meeting agenda - burning issues first.

Make sure that the crucial organizational topics are at the very top of the agenda while all board members are fully focused and energized. For example, pressing issues such as approving financial reports and key decisions regarding the budget need to be discussed at the beginning of the meeting.

Once you wrap up legal, financial, and other essential matters, you can save time for new ideas to take place in the meeting and open the floor for creative solutions.

Allocate appropriate time for each agenda item

If all board members join the meeting prepared, there is no need to stretch the time for protocol agenda items. Check the previous meeting's minutes to estimate how much time it really takes to vote on a decision and base the board agenda schedule on that experience.

This rule applies to creating an annual board meeting agenda, but it shouldn’t be overlooked for an emergency board meeting either. Even though emergency meetings are scheduled within a tight time frame, set a time limit to when the topic needs to be concluded. 

A ticking clock helps the members achieve effective meetings, especially when the topic requires an urgent solution and you must keep it practical. You can even set the speaker's time limit to ensure all voices are being heard before final voting.

Include any necessary supporting materials or documents

Briefing all meeting participants prior to the discussion is one of the main roles of a board meeting agenda. Attach PDFs and links to the additional materials they need in order to fill them in with all novelties within the company.

Include documents such as financial reports, committee reports, and an executive director report - everything that might concern a board of directors. Besides making sure that every board member is up to date, sharing important information in advance can also help any new board member get acquainted with their task.

Share the agenda in advance with board members

Sharing the agenda ahead of the meeting enables the board members to set expectations before making an appearance. It also allows them to prepare for the meeting, read all relevant documents you’ve prepared, and form an opinion before the discussions and the voting.

Moreover, if there are any questions for the board chair prior to the meeting, they can schedule a remote one-on-one meeting to make an informative decision. This will save time from questions and detours during the meeting itself, and help you stick to the meeting agenda.

Board meeting agenda template

With the right board meeting agenda template, you can easily create and distribute an agenda for any upcoming meeting. The following template can be used for both a nonprofit organization and high-level stakeholders within a company.

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Company name: Super Software LLC

Date and time: 31.8.2023. At 11:00

Location: Lower Main Street, Rush, Dublin

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Board chair: Frederick Shawn

Board members: Zoe Borough, Sam Michael, Boris Novakov

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Call to order

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Approval of the Agenda

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Approval of the Minutes

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Reports

• Executive director report
• Committee reports
• Financial reports
• Communication committee reports

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Discussion Topics

• Old business such as board nominations
• Contracts to sign
• Organizational problems
• Key points and other business items

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New Business

• Transforming the organization's mission
• Voting on the vision statements

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Adjournment

• Comments and announcements
• Future date for the next meeting

You can use our board meeting agenda templates to prepare for the first board meeting and make sure it runs smoothly. For every next meeting you schedule, however, you will be able to adjust it according to your own business needs.

Components of an effective board meeting agenda

Board meeting agendas that get the job done and continue to run successful meetings all have these key elements in common:

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• Heading
  
  Heading of the board meeting agenda includes the basic information: Company name, date, time, location of the meeting, and the information on the board chair and board members attending the meeting.
  
  
• Call to Order
  
  Officially start the meeting and establish the agenda's purpose.
  
  
• Approval of the Agenda
  
  Overview the list of topics in the agenda and agree in order to proceed with the meeting.
  
  
• Approval of the Minutes
  
  Review and approve minutes from the previous meeting, to get all board members on the same page.
  
  
• Reports
  
  Reviewing the updates from board members, committees, and different departments.
  
  
• Discussion Topics
  
  Key items for board discussion and decision-making.
  
  
• New Business
  
  Any additional items that need to be addressed, proposals by the board members, novelties that you are bringing to the company.
  
  
• Adjournment
  
  The official end of the meeting, including the announcements and comments you have to share.

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It is a good practice to set a date for the next board meeting within the adjournment. The follow-up tasks created during this meeting can help you ​​establish the next meeting's agenda and give everyone a deadline for their upcoming activities.

Best practices for using the board meeting agenda

A solid board meeting agenda template can help you structure an efficient meeting flow. However, there are some additional efforts you can make to ensure you get the most out of the board agenda.

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1. Encourage board members to review the agenda and come prepared
   
   A productive board meeting is a meeting where everyone included knows what matters are being discussed. Send a few gentle reminders to the participants telling them to review the meeting minutes from the last board meeting, as well as other documents you have sent, prior to the meeting date.
   
   
2. Facilitate productive discussions and decision-making
   
   One of the best practices when facilitating any meeting is to feel the room and know when it is time to introduce a break or be flexible with the board meeting agendas. Except for the emergency board meeting, these discussions exist to make the most important decisions within the company, thus it is crucial that everyone is fully present and concentrated.
   
   
3. Keep the meeting focused and on track
   
   Once you have prepared an effective agenda, your job is to follow the meeting structure and keep the discussions focused. A time limit to the agenda topics can help you apply pressure on the board members who are beginning to stretch the topic in an unproductive way.
   
   
4. Document action items and follow-up tasks
   
   Every discussion that takes place during the meeting should be recorded in the meeting minutes. This way, everyone can check the minutes of the previous meeting when preparing for the next one. Aside from taking meeting notes, write down all follow-up tasks and assign them as soon as the meeting is concluded.
   
   

With a team management tool such as Plai, you easily assign tasks to your staff upon the board meeting and keep everyone in the loop of what is happening with the company.

Conclusion

We hope you found our board meeting agenda template useful for creating the next meeting agenda that keeps your business running forward.

If you are interested in becoming a more productive team leader and efficient meeting host, schedule a Plai demo and discover all the possibilities a single tool can offer to bring your management potential to the next level.

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