The benefits of using a checklist for a board meeting 

Using a checklist as preparation for a meeting is a great strategy for running an organized, timely and professional session. Some key advantages of using a checklist to get ready for your next board meeting are:

• Mental clarity about the meeting objective

• A preset agenda of points to cover 

• Confidence that you can cover necessary talking points in the allotted time 

• Preventing technical glitches that hold up the meeting 

• Ensuring equal input from people attending in-person and remotely 

Board meeting preparation checklist

To get ready for a board meeting you’re running, use this checklist to determine your steps leading up to it. 

Send out notice of the meeting 

The first item on a preparation meeting checklist is to notify all parties involved of the meeting. If you don’t have a firm date or location yet, simply notify stakeholders, directors and other parties who should attend that you intend to hold a board meeting for the company within the next weeks or months. Advanced notice keeps the meeting top of mind for individuals and puts them in a mental space where they’re prepared to dedicate time to the event. 

Develop the preliminary agenda

Understanding what needs the board meeting needs to cover will help you determine the length of time you need to schedule. Create a basic outline of talking points to go over and roughly how long you need to spend on each topic. 

Book the meeting room

Once you know how long the meeting will be, book an appropriate time slot in a meeting room at your company’s office building or an event center in your city. The scale of the venue usually depends on office space and how many individuals will attend. If you’re booking meeting space at a conference center rather than in your office building, you’ll need to prioritize this to ensure you can get the necessary space for the date and time that suits your schedule. 

Confirm the number of attendees and notify them of the final details

After booking the location, you can send an official email notification with the finalized details. Ask stakeholders, directors and employees to RSVP to confirm their attendance by a specific date. If members will be participating remotely, ask them to contact you with this information so you can make the necessary arrangements. 

Assess the need for video conferencing tools

Once you know how many people are participating in the meeting remotely, you can determine the best setup for teleconferencing them in. In many cases, video conferencing software such as Zoom lets these individuals be more involved in the meeting than simply calling in. 

Finalize the agenda and send it to attendees

After determining who’s attending and how long the event will be, finalize the agenda. Refer to the previous meeting agenda as a guideline and get input from the board chair and CEO/executive director. Talk to them about the following:

• Anticipated time for discussing each item

• Strategies for encouraging discussion

• How to incorporate presentation materials and video participants 

• Which directors should submit reports 

Pinpoint a deadline for directors to submit their reports and have a strategy for distributing these to the board members before the meeting. 

Test video conferencing tools and presentation software 

Finally, test the software and technology that you will be using during the event. Once you can access the space, the morning of or the night before the meeting, hook up your laptop and check the internet connection, audio inputs and outputs, video camera and any Smartboard technology for displaying PowerPoint presentations to the group.

Post-board meeting checklist

After the meeting, follow this checklist for board meeting evaluation to determine how effective your meeting was and where you can improve in the future. 

Clean up the space

Immediately following the meeting, you or your employees should clean up the meeting space to leave it in the same condition it was when you arrived. Ensure all materials and technology you brought are packed up and returned to your office. 

Finalize and share the meeting minutes

Review the draft of the minutes recorded during the meeting and edit them for clarity. Ensure an actionable list of the next steps is included and names are clearly assigned to each task. Distribute the meeting minutes to board members, directors and other company employees who were present at or are affected by what was discussed at the meeting. 

Ask for employee feedback

Create a digital survey that lets participants remain anonymous to get feedback on the meeting. Review the data and see whether participants felt like the format and duration of the meeting were efficient and worth their time. 

Evaluate the meeting’s success

Share this feedback with board members and directors to inform your future meeting agendas. Discuss with the CEO and board chair their thoughts on the meeting and what they might want to do differently next time.