 are crucial forums for strategic discussion, decision-making and governance. However, poorly planned meetings can be unproductive, disengaging, and ultimately hinder an organization’s progress. Leveraging board meeting best practices can keep your meetings on the right trajectory.

This article addresses some of the most common barriers to conducting effective board meetings and critical opportunities to oversee better meetings, including:

Key roles and responsibilities for board meetings

Essential board meeting best practices to promote productivity and engagement

An effective board meeting drives decision-making, accountability and transparency. While boards should communicate between meetings, gathering in the boardroom allows for deeper discussions and more strategic decision-making about the organization’s urgent issues.

When run according to board meeting best practices, board meetings become the backbone of board effectiveness. They create a space for meaningful discussions and debate, prompt the board to make necessary decisions and allow follow-up on anything previously decided. If you think of influential organizational changes, nearly all trace back to a board meeting.

roles and responsibilities of the board of directors

 are well-defined and often detailed in the bylaws. However, well-run meetings demand slightly different roles for the board’s key players. These include

The board chair is at the helm of every meeting and is responsible for following board meeting best practices. They set the agenda and collaborate with the corporate secretary to create it. They guide all conversations and decisions using the agenda, ensuring every board member feels heard. They will also call for votes as needed. At every stage, the board chair should advance governance principles and consider whether the board is fulfilling its 

 works with the board chair to create, finalize and distribute 

, such as committee reports. Once the meeting begins, the secretary is a steward of 

, taking thorough minutes, tracking resolutions and follow-ups and holding the board accountable for anything they decide during the meeting.

 present updates on specific issues to the entire board and discuss committee activities.

 attends meetings to give the board insight into the organization’s daily operations. They may present insights into operations, finances or corporate strategy. As the liaison between the board and employees, the CEO should also use meetings to hear directly from the board about critical decisions and policies and how to implement them.

 may not have updates to share. However, they still must be engaged. They are responsible for offering 

, asking questions, and sharing opinions. In discharging that duty, they must also represent shareholders’ best interest. To do so, 

 should review materials in advance, be ready to engage in discussions and collaborate with the board to make important decisions.

What are the critical steps for planning a successful board meeting?

1. Define clear meeting goals and objectives: 

Before sending out any invitations, establish the purpose of the meeting. What decisions need to be made? What information needs to be disseminated? Clearly defined goals will guide the agenda creation, time allocation and overall meeting flow.

2. Craft a comprehensive and well-organized agenda: 

 is the roadmap for the meeting. It should be circulated well in advance, allowing board members to prepare and submit any relevant materials.

Include estimated timeframes for each agenda item, ensuring important discussions are not rushed while less critical matters receive sufficient attention.

3. Encourage pre-meeting preparation and information sharing: 

Distribute supporting materials, reports and presentations ahead of the meeting. This empowers board members to come prepared, ask insightful questions and engage in deeper-level discussions.

4. Consider the use of technology for streamlined collaboration: 

 to share documents, conduct polls and facilitate remote participation. Ensure all participants are familiar with the chosen technology and have access to the necessary equipment.

. With the support of the corporate secretary, board chairs must cultivate several skill sets to engage the board in every meeting, including fostering engagement, driving decision-making and enhancing meetings’ overall effectiveness.

Best practices for fostering engagement and active participation

 Respecting the designated timeframe demonstrates efficiency and prevents fatigue, fostering a more focused and engaged environment.

Promote active discussion by employing diverse participation strategies. 

Go beyond traditional presentations and lectures. Encourage open dialogue by soliciting questions and feedback throughout the meeting. Utilize breakout sessions, brainstorming exercises, and role-playing scenarios to stimulate diverse perspectives and active participation.

While following the agenda sounds simple, meetings can quickly get off track. Board members may have issues on their minds, or planned discussions can take unexpected turns. Board chairs should anchor to the 

 and always redirect the meeting according to it. This respects board members’ time to review the agenda before the meeting and ensures all essential items are covered.

Ensure all voices are heard and respected: 

Create an inclusive setting where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions and asking questions. Acknowledge and address diverse viewpoints while maintaining respectful and productive discourse.

Delegate tasks and leverage individual expertise:

 Rotate who leads discussions on different agenda items, tapping into the board’s collective knowledge and experience. Assign specific tasks or questions to individual members, fostering ownership and engagement.

Best practices for facilitating effective decision-making

What is the meeting for? Board chairs and corporate secretaries should determine the primary objective of each meeting and share it with attendees. This can focus engagement and decision-making around the most mission-critical items on the agenda, helping the board focus on key decisions.

Provide clear and concise information relevant to the agenda:

 Discuss factual data and well-considered analysis. Avoid overloading the board with unnecessary details that could hinder clear decision-making.

Encourage critical thinking and open debate: 

Create an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed and openly discussed. Allow time for reasoned debate and exploring potential alternatives before reaching a decision.

Ensure voting processes are fair and transparent: 

Uphold established board meeting best practices, procedures and voting guidelines, ensuring all members understand the decision-making process.

Document decisions clearly and comprehensively: 

Assign a dedicated individual — often the corporate secretary — to 

, accurately capturing all critical decisions, action items and next steps.

Best practices for board meeting effectiveness

Distribute the agenda before the meeting: 

Reviewing the agenda at the start of each board meeting is a poor use of members’ valuable time. Sharing the agenda before the meeting gives attendees time to review each item and prepare their initial thoughts. This fuels meaningful discussions rather than wasting time waiting for each member to think through their point of view.

Seek feedback from board members and participants:

 After each meeting, gather feedback through surveys, anonymous polls or facilitated discussions. This feedback will help identify areas for improvement and ensure the board is meeting the needs of its members and the organization.

Review and adapt meeting agendas and structures based on feedback: 

Be open to adjusting your approach based on ongoing feedback. Consider incorporating different formats, technology platforms or participation strategies to enhance the board’s effectiveness.

Regularly review and update relevant policies and procedures:

 and board meeting best practices are current and reflect best practices. Revisit and update these documents regularly to maintain optimal board performance and effectiveness.

The best meetings are packed with discussions, debate and decision-making, often accompanied by post-meeting tasks for each board member. Succinct but specific 

 keep the contents of each meeting fresh and hold the board accountable for anything they agreed to.

Boost board meeting efficiency with technology

 and governance professionals can foster a culture of effective board meetings by following concrete board meeting best practices. The well-organized, engaging and productive meetings that result will help drive effective governance, strategic decision-making and, ultimately, the organization’s success.

However, best practices alone won’t transform disorganized meetings into decisive meetings of the minds. Agendas and board materials often take hundreds of hours to prepare. Meeting minutes are equally intricate, requiring specific protocols to support board effectiveness and comply with regulations.

, is designed with board meeting best practices in mind. Boost the quality of your board meetings with:

Streamlined minute-taking, distribution and review

Integrated AI to summarize and compare board materials, build agendas, draft disclosures

Faster agenda creation, including user-friendly templates and a drag-and-drop interface

Centralized reporting so boards can quickly review enterprise-wide risk ahead of meetings

Start transforming your meetings with Diligent Boards today

Effective board meetings: 15 key board meeting best practices

“I’m super excited, today is my annual compliance training!” ...S

aid no one ever (non-facetiously) — unless maybe they work as a compliance trainer.

Few corporate tasks elicit quite the same level of irritation — right up there with expense reports and annual self-evaluations — as required training. Employees don’t enjoy compliance training, not just because it’s often poorly executed (that’s a topic for another day), but because they don’t see the connection between the training, what they do and why they should care.

Employees roll their eyes and sigh when compliance training rolls around because it doesn’t feel connected to their day job. It’s something to slog through before getting back to the work they’re paid to do — the work they’re evaluated, measured and even bonused on. And while they’re stuck in training, the “real” work just piles up.

Compliance training is necessary — and a crucial element of any robust compliance program. In fact, I’d argue training is the answer to nearly every compliance issue. New policy? Training. New product? Training. New or changed regulation? Training. Complaint, remediation, misunderstanding? You guessed it — training.

Training demonstrates action to regulators. It shows growth, accountability and a willingness to improve. In many industries, compliance training isn’t just a best practice (a far more inspiring phrase than “necessary evil”) — it’s a regulatory requirement. I spent much of my career as a compliance officer in financial services, and in broker-dealer and investment advisory firms, “firm element” training is not optional.

Yet even with this importance, training still feels separate from the job. “Compliance is everyone’s responsibility” is a phrase employees have heard again and again. They get it — intellectually. But they still have a growing to-do list while you’re making them sit through another slide deck.

Our goal doesn’t have to be making everyone love compliance training — let’s be realistic. But we 

 do a better job connecting the dots and making it less of a chore.

Rethinking the what and how of compliance training

Before designing new training, ask: do we 

 need training? I know — I just said it’s the answer to everything. But legal and compliance teams often have a fixed idea of what training looks like. Thirty slides. Tiny text. Every relevant regulation stuffed onto a single slide — because “we need to show we delivered it all,” right?

Sometimes, yes. But consider linking out to regulations, using appendices or summarizing key takeaways. No one is going to memorize your training, but a referenceable takeaway or clear guidance on where to find more info can be gold.

If you have just a few key points, don’t bury them in a 45-minute PowerPoint. Not every concept needs the same weight or time. Think about alternative formats — FAQs, short videos, quizzes, posters, even emails. Rethink what counts as “training” to cut down hours and increase effectiveness.

I once saw a t-shirt that read, “This meeting could have been an email.” Ask yourself: could this compliance training be an email? Or a poster? Or literally anything other than another slide deck? If not, why not?

Each training should have a clear reason. Taking employees away from their core responsibilities shouldn’t be done lightly. Acknowledging the value of their time is, in itself, a bridge builder.

Also, don’t forget the “why.” Explain why the training matters. Compliance doesn’t create training just for fun (even if some of us enjoy it). There’s a driver behind it, and it has meaning. Include that meaning in your messaging.

Final Thoughts: Influence is your superpower

Tell your stakeholders why they should care — in a way 

 will care about. What resonates with legal and compliance doesn’t always resonate with sales, marketing, or ops. Years ago, I asked new compliance associates how they’d encourage stakeholders to follow a policy. One said, “You just tell them it’s the law.” Nope.

It’s not that people don’t care about the law. They just don’t see how it applies to them. So help them. Paint the picture. This is how 

, in your specific role, fit in. This is why it matters.

Compliance officers rarely have the authority to compel. We lead through influence. But training — especially required training — is the one time we 

: “Yeah, well, I have the microphone and you don’t, so you will listen to every word I say.” Don’t be that compliance trainer.

Use the mic wisely. Build bridges. Cut the slide count. And always, always explain the why.

Want to level up your compliance training strategy?

 can help you engage employees, reduce friction and drive better outcomes. 

The author of this guest blog is not affiliated with Diligent nor do they represent any Diligent products or services.

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