A board of directors can benefit from regular assessments of its meeting processes.
Regularly collecting feedback on a board of director’s meetings can contribute to the overall effectiveness of its work. The assessments can highlight areas for improvement as well as commend the board for its strengths.
The Neutral Observer
Some boards may use a neutral observer to offer constructive and objective feedback on board meetings. The neutral observer’s perspective can be beneficial because it is unbiased – removed from the everyday workings of the organization and the existing dynamics of the board.
The neutral observer can be used during the beginning of the board’s term. The feedback gathered at that time can help establish meeting standards and expectations for a newly formed board. At the end of the board’s term, the neutral observer’s evaluation can rate the progress made over the board’s course of service.
Many boards encounter difficult periods for a variety of reasons, such as ethical situations or power and relationship conflicts. A neutral observer can help keep the board on track with its business at hand and work through the problems that may otherwise hinder its progress.
The neutral observer may consider the following general elements when assessing the board meeting’s details:
- whether or not the meeting began on time;
- the number of participants;
- the length of the meeting and whether or not it was an appropriate amount of time to thoroughly consider each item on the agenda;
- the meeting agenda and the quality of the meeting package; and
- whether or not the items were appropriate to the board’s level of discussion.
The meeting’s discussions can also be evaluated by the neutral observer, including:
- the effectiveness of the chair in facilitating the meeting;
- the relevancy of the discussions to the presented agenda items;
- the quality of the information provided to the board members to facilitate effective discussions;
- the participation of the board members in the overall discussions and decision making; and
- the level of preparedness of the board members.
Board Members’ Evaluation of Meetings
The individual board members should be given the opportunity to evaluate each board meeting. This will contribute to the board’s commitment to improving discussions and meeting processes.
Board members can evaluate the following:
- both the valuable and non-valuable components of the meeting;
- the relevancy of the discussion topics;
- the participation level of the individual board members;
- the board’s use of meeting time; and
- any recommendations for improvement.
The board members’ feedback should be summarized and made available for discussion at the following meeting. This will demonstrate that each member’s comments are treated with equal recognition as well as provide an open dialogue for addressing noted issues.
