Board Meetings – Developing Good Practice (Resource adapted from material contributed by Richmond CVS) Consider your own meetings: 1. How long are our meetings? 2. How frequent are our meetings? 3. Can we generally cover what we need to in them?
Yes / No
Y Which of the following apply to your organisation’s meetings? 1. We have an agenda £ 2. Everyone knows who to contact to put items on the agenda £ 3. The agenda makes it clear what is expected regarding each item £ 4. The agenda is circulated sufficiently in advance of the meeting to enable people to prepare effectively £ 5. Documents / background papers are circulated when necessary £ 6. It is clear what each document is for and what the recipient is expected to do with it £ 7. The place we meet is comfortable and fit for purpose £ 8. Our meetings always start on time £ 9. People are well prepared for each meeting £ 10. People arrive ready to participate £ 11. People have a spirit of wanting to determine what’s best for the group as a whole, not of wanting to ‘prove a point’ £ 12. The meetings are well planned £ 13. Everyone participates, no-one dominates £ 14. We have enough time to consider our decisions properly £ 15. Things don’t get postponed until they are a problem £ 16. Meetings stick to time £ 17. We always agree actions with owners and completion dates £ 18. The minutes are accurate and to the point £ 19. The minutes are circulated in a reasonable time after each meeting £ 20. People do, between meetings, what they said they would do £ 21. We follow up on previous meetings decisions/actions £ 22. The decisions of the board are implemented £ 23. We delegate appropriate work to other forums, reserving the main board meeting for essential board work £ 24. The board sets clear terms of reference and boundaries for these other forums and receives regular reports £ 25. Essential board work is always done by the board, never delegated £
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* Y S N = Yes, Sometimes, No
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If you couldn’t tick ‘Yes’ for most of the statements on the previous page, you may recognise one or more of the following knock-on effects: Important items are postponed continually in favour of urgent ones We talk a lot, but never seem to make decisions We rarely consider the bigger picture We don’t often get around to considering new ideas We sometimes miss opportunities Sometimes decisions are compromised because we rush them Problems catch us unaware and we regularly have to ‘fire-fight’ Board time is spent on work which would be better done elsewhere
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Take another look at the checklist on the first page. If you have ticked ‘No’ or ‘Sometimes’ for any points, what will you do to improve your meetings in future? Actions we will take:
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Individual Meeting Practice It’s also important that individual board members get into good habits regarding how they personally take part in meetings, and encourage and support new board members to adopt the same constructive approach. What ways do people need to act in meetings to make sure they are effective? • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Sticking to the point Being clear and succinct Contributing at the right level (broad brush or detailed) Having your say, but then giving the floor over to others Being open and honest (this includes disagreeing with others and being prepared to tackle difficult issues) Avoiding repetition Encouraging others to participate Listening carefully Asking insightful questions and challenging appropriately Being respectful of the ideas and opinions of others Presenting comments and feedback thoughtfully so others feel their contributions are valued; supporting others Always taking a constructive approach, even in difficult situations Staying objective, not taking things personally Remembering to put the interests of the group first
You may wish to embody some of these practices into a set of ‘ground rules’. Reflect on your own current meeting habits: Are there any areas you think you should do differently? Actions I will take:
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