Tips for Effectively Managing Board Meetings

International banking professional Julio M. Herrera Velutini has had a presence in the Venezuelan banking industry for many years. In addition to his work in banking, Julio Herrera Velutini has sat on the boards of various companies doing business in the country including BMW and KIA.

Company board members regularly meet to discuss the overall progress of the company. To make your company’s board meetings more effective, start by laying a solid foundation. Before the date of the meeting, send out a brief outlining the meeting’s agenda. Set out the issues for discussion and support them with contextual information such as historical background and data metrics. Remember to clearly state the reason for discussing each issue and the desired outcomes of the discussion.

During the meeting, start by introducing the issues at hand and then allocating time for addressing each one. Focus the meeting on strategic debates, problem solving, and decision making. Do not waste time discussing routine matters. Limit each speaker’s contribution to a number of minutes and set rules to limit comments. Last, put in place an organized system for decision-making, whether by vote or consensus.