How great will it be to arrive at a meeting and find the boardroom prepared with the right equipment?
For every meeting, an invitation and agenda are expected to be created ahead of time. The same should apply to the boardroom. The preparation of necessary equipment should be done to ensure that the meeting, especially an online board meeting, can run smoothly and begin on time.
With the right boardroom checklist, your team can have a stylish, comfortable, and painstakingly well-equipped meeting room, which helps facilitate persuasive and smooth communication. Therefore, in order to do the needful, you should create a boardroom checklist.
Guidelines for board meeting preparation
Below are the guidelines you can follow that can help with the planning and running of your board meeting:
- A planning process. Starting to prepare for the next meeting not long from when the last one ends can be very helpful. Have time for yourself every week to plan and prioritize your tasks
- Team up with key stakeholders. You should get some important stakeholders involved so that the agenda can include every necessary topic and directors may get relevant materials in advance
- Take advantage of modern technology. There are technologies such as board portal software or board management software that could help streamline the board meeting preparation tasks. Virtual board software can help compile board meeting packages, build agendas, and map out meeting calendars. Undoubtedly, a board portal can make your preparation easier, no matter how daunting you may have thought it to be
Board portals and board meeting preparation
A board meeting preparation checklist is a tool that can assist with staying on track while executing the planning process. At this stage, the value of a virtual boardroom cannot be underestimated as it can help with the efficient running and planning of board meetings.
Board portals can be of great assistance in meeting preparation. Some of their main benefits include:
- Simple director access and repeat processes
- Streamlined meeting preparation process
- Hours of preparation time saved and dedicated to more important tasks
- Centralized communication, reducing the fear of losing files and links in an endless email swirl
- Efficient paperless meeting solution, helping build agendas, prepare minutes, poll directors to choose best-fit meeting dates, assign tasks, track expenses, and more.
- High-end security, ensuring all critical data is safe
- Easy access to past meeting materials and help send notifications to directors that the meeting material is in the portal for review
Boardroom checklist
The following are some of the main necessities to prepare the boardroom for an important meeting.
- Whiteboard with pens: Whiteboard and pens may be required if notes or visuals on a whiteboard might be needed. This is an intelligent way to explain a topic elaborately.
- Chairs and tables: You should add chairs and tables to your list. They are indispensable in the room. Ensure the chairs are comfortable and not stiff, and the tables must be perfect for the meeting (not too large to feel intimate).
- AV projector and viewport: You must ensure that your projector is properly functioning. Check the boardroom and see if all the necessary equipment is there.
- Cables and cords: in order not to have a delayed meeting, you must get the correct cords. You can get them stocked in the boardroom beforehand or ensure you get the proper ones and bring them to the meeting. Besides, you can test the cords ahead of time to be certain that they are fit for the meeting. This will prevent any connectivity challenges.
- A/V equipment: You should ensure the A/V equipment is functioning. It’s certainly proper to ensure that your audio presentation equipment is prepared ahead of time. Your speakers must be working properly, and the connections must be right for them.
- Video or audio conferencing equipment: For virtual attendees, you must ensure that the conferencing equipment is properly set up ahead of time, for no one should miss out on the crucial parts of the meeting.
- Refreshments: For attendees to stay alert and focused for the meeting, you may want to offer them what they need to pay attention to. So, you may want to prepare a coffee maker and/or hot water boiler for tea.
Without proper preparation, boardroom meetings can end up going off the rails and ending up unenjoyable and unproductive. So, you must ensure that you prepare great conditions beforehand for yourself and your team. This will give you a great chance to make the meeting productive. Start with a boardroom checklist, and the success of your meeting can be assured.