7 min read

How To Prepare For A Board Meeting

By Lottie Wright on 09/06/23 18:53

The responsibilities of Board administrators, members and secretaries are immense when prepping for a Board meeting. Board meeting materials must be prepared enough in advance so Board Members are given time to read them, as well as for edits to be made to Board packs and documents.

This is why it is crucial to be well-prepared for your meetings, as if the preparation is thorough, the meeting will be more productive. Preparing for Board meetings well enough in advance helps the entirety of the Board come to the meeting prepared as well. This means your meetings can be as effective as possible and meet your objectives.

To help you learn how best to prepare for a Board meeting, this blog will take you through the necessary steps and how a Board portal could help your overall Board meeting process. 


1. Schedule the Meeting 

The first part of your Board meeting preparation is deciding when and where the meeting will take place. In addition to this, you will also have to consider a location, and confirm that a potential meeting space is available, accessible, and has any equipment that your organisation might need.

If your Board meeting is going to be remote, administrators need to create the necessary channels for the meeting and add in the relevant participants within the platform your organisation uses. Calendar features can help to schedule meetings that align with the schedules of internal participants, and reminders can be sent out automatically.


2. Develop The Agenda

A clear and solid agenda is a framework for running efficient and productive meetings, and should be developed and prepared for as early as possible. Reviewing the previous meeting’s minutes is a good way to understand the objectives of the Board meeting ahead. 

The agenda should focus on actionable and relevant matters for the Board to discuss in the meeting, and there should be sufficient information on each of these action items

Each matter should have a specific timeline and purpose, such as providing information, gathering data, or reaching a decision, to help keep the Board on track and ensure the best use of their time when tackling problems.


3. Contact Necessary Participants

In the previous Board meeting minutes there should be the action tasks assigned to separate Board members from the last meeting. Contact those individuals to check in on progress so you know what to address in the upcoming meeting. This acts as both a reminder and a way to offer additional support for the assigned tasks.

Additionally when sending meeting materials, they should be sent at least a week in advance to the necessary participants. Board Members are often busy and may serve on multiple Boards and teams so it is important to also give them the time to prepare, as well as yourself.
 

4. Compile All Necessary Documents

You should prepare your Board packet well in advance of the meeting, to give yourself a good amount of time to make additions and change

A Board packet is a collection of documents providing all the information Board Members will need for your meeting in a single place.

The basic meeting materials will include:

Topics: Governance Board Portal Features Remote Working
6 min read

10 Top Tips For Working From Home

By Hisham Al-Ramah on 26/04/23 13:02

The working world has taken some unexpected turns in the last few years. Working from home has become the new normal, as well as remote meetings, and it seems for many organisations this trend will continue long into the future.

There are many opportunities that arise from working from home: no commuting; more time to complete home chores; travel and lunch financial savings; better work life balance. There are however, some down sides too, including increased feelings of isolation, work overload, and job dissatisfaction.

In order to combat these downsides of remote working, here’s our top tips for working from home and how you can make the most of it. 

Topics: Remote Working
5 min read

What Is Business Continuity Management?

By Lucy Palmer on 01/08/22 11:13

Across every sector, there is always the risk of something going wrong. This may be a physical disaster such as a fire, which means you can’t access your supply chain. It can also be a range of other unpredictable events such as losing a key employee, experiencing a cyberattack or facing a global pandemic.  

Topics: Governance Remote Working
3 min read

What Is A Document Conference?

By Gabriella Mangham on 13/06/22 09:49

What Is Document Conferencing?

Document conferencing is when a group holds a meeting to review a document or certain documents. This historically was done in-person with a physical document or board pack and each page was read, discussed, approved and signed by every individual present. Now, in the era of hybrid and remote working, this can be a lot more difficult.

Topics: Board Portal Features Remote Working Convene in Teams
6 min read

What are the Benefits and Pitfalls of Hybrid Working?

By Gabriella Mangham on 27/07/21 14:30

As we move into the post-pandemic era, many are questioning whether there will be a return to the office or if they will keep working remotely. With social distancing, a lack of office space and the anxiety some may feel surrounding being face to face full time again, the future of working in an office may look very different. 

Topics: Remote Working

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