“How-To” Guide for Board Agendas

Did you know that most – if not all – boards set their meeting schedule one – or even – two years in advance? Not only do they schedule those meetings, but they also pick quite a few agenda items for each of those meetings.

Mind-blowing, right? I can’t decide what I’m doing tomorrow. But setting the annual agenda is one of the most critical things a board can do to ensure it’s checking all its boxes. Scheduling can get a little ugly and sometimes a little personal.

Everyone knows that the details of each meeting’s agenda will need to change during the course of the year, but the discipline of an annual agenda increases the likelihood that the board its committees will address their obligations.

One of the functions of the corporate secretary is to plan. But the secretary also needs to ensure things are not overlooked. That can happen very easily. So, as you’re flexible and make changes, keep track of those changes, because you need to keep track of your moving parts and remind the board what they need to cover during the year.

Here are 5 things you need to know about board agendas:

• Determine how far out to plan
• Know when (& how) to set it
• Determine what goes in it
• Be flexible in deviating from it
• Use it to set individual meeting agendas

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