Board meetings are scheduled on a regular basis and allow the company’s management to meet with key Key Communication Skills for Board Meetings: Making Things Clear, Working Together, and Choosing Well stakeholders to discuss key business issues. It is vital that the board of directors remain in contact and on the same page with one another particularly during times of high stress such as an M&A or even a threat that is imminent. A regularly scheduled agenda ensures that meetings focus on the most pressing business issues instead of rehashing old information.

The most important aspect of the board meeting is discussion of the company’s strategy direction. The board must discuss the company’s plans and strategies and create an action plan to promote progress. It is also beneficial to work together on any issues the company might face and devise a strategy for how to deal with them.

In this section of the meeting, head of departments or committees typically present a written report to the board. These reports may include milestones, financial data and KPIs and roadmaps for products, as well as improvements and organizational performance. Most of the time, the majority of this section is spent reviewing future strategies and evaluating whether or not the organization is on track to meet its goals.

The board will then look over the issues that have not been resolved or those that require formal approval. Depending on the business the board can vote on a range of issues including changing the articles of incorporation of the company as well as authorizing certain transactions or ratifying an earlier decision taken by the board. To be able to vote on a subject it is essential that a majority of board members are present.