How to organize a meeting as a secretary for the board of directors

Board meetings are necessary – but often unproductive and efficient. That’s according to nearly three-quarters of leading executives. To make the most of board members’ precious time, proper meeting preparation is essential. 

The corporate secretary plays a critical role in making sure this happens. In an orderly environment, board members have a better focus on the required issues and can stay productive throughout the meeting. This, in turn, significantly boosts overall board effectiveness and improves decision-making. 

In this article, we list the main tasks of a corporate secretary involved in arranging a meeting and provide recommendations on how to organize a meeting so that board members perform at their best.

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Pre-meeting preparation

Board meeting organization starts with planning. Below are the main steps a corporate secretary should take to ensure flawless pre-meeting preparation:

• Set a meeting date, time, and place. The company secretary chooses the date and time for a meeting that is convenient for every board member. The meeting location should also be chosen strategically — it must be easy for all board members to get to the meeting and be in an environment that is appropriate for productive meetings. For instance, when having a meeting outside the office, restaurants might not be the best meeting space due to lots of extra noise. 
• Confirm meeting agenda items. The secretary should first work closely with the chairperson to confirm the agenda and main discussion topics to ensure a successful meeting.
• Define presenters. Based on the agreed discussion topics, define presenters for each agenda item. Also, ensure that you inform presenters in advance that they’re expected to speak so that they can prepare appropriately.
• Send meeting invitations. Send formal meeting invitations to all board members and other meeting participants, either electronically or via hard copy, depending on the board’s preference.
• Prepare reports and documents. Before the meeting, prepare all the required meeting materials. Collect reports, financial statements, previous meeting minutes, and any other documents that need to be reviewed. Distribute those documents to board members along with the agenda. This can be done via email or specialized board portals like iDeals Board for secure data sharing, storing, and effective communication.
  
  • Note: learn what a board portal is in our dedicated article.
    
• Confirm attendance. Upon sending meeting invitations, ensure all invited participants confirm their presence to ensure a quorum will be present. Remind board members who haven’t confirmed to respond.
• Prepare the meeting room. At the meeting venue, ensure materials like name tags, pens, water, and board packs are available in the meeting room prior to the meeting.
• Set up technology. Check all the technology that is needed for a meeting like screens, microphones, or speakers. If a meeting is held virtually, test and share the meeting link (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or board portal), including instructions for logging in.

Creating the agenda

Creating a detailed agenda for the meeting is one of the most time-consuming tasks. 

These are the key recommendations to follow when creating a detailed agenda as part of your board meeting organization:

1. Build on the meeting objectives. Meeting agenda preparation starts with understanding meeting objectives. Are there critical decisions that need to be made? Are there reports or updates that must be discussed? Knowing the main objectives helps focus the agenda on topics that align with the board’s strategic priorities.
2. Consult with the chair and key stakeholders. To ensure you create an agenda that’s based on board objectives, consult with the meeting leader — board chair and any other key leaders or stakeholders. They can provide insight into what needs to be covered and which topics are top priorities. 
3. Structure the agenda logically. A typical structure of an agenda for board room meetings includes sections such as opening, reports, old business, new business, and closing. Ensure that a meeting has a consistent, easy-to-follow structure and that all related items such as reports, discussions, and decision points are grouped together.
4. Put the most important questions first. Place the most critical and time-sensitive topics at the beginning of the agenda. This makes sure that, if time runs out, the board has still addressed the most important issues. The same goes for decision-heavy topics — it’s better to have them at the beginning of the meeting when the group is fresh and focused.
5. Identify a speaker for each agenda item. Clearly indicate who is leading each agenda item. This could be the chair, a committee head, or another board member. This way, everyone knows their role and is prepared in advance. It also allows speakers to prepare relevant materials or remarks, leading to more focused discussions and a productive meeting in general.
6. Set time frames for each agenda item. When organizing a meeting, estimate and assign a specific time limit for each agenda item. This keeps the meeting on track and prevents any topic from dominating the entire session. However, allow for some flexibility and be realistic — include some buffer time to accommodate extended discussions if needed.
7. Be specific about agenda items. Instead of listing vague titles like “Discussion on finance”, use detailed descriptions such as “Review of Q2 financial statements and approval of budget adjustments.” This helps attendees clearly understand the purpose and desired outcome of each item.

During the meeting

Meetings are productive when they’re planned well and coordinated properly. Here are the main tasks for the secretary for the board of directors:

• Ensure a proper start. Start a meeting on time. As the secretary, you should also have already taken attendance and confirmed that there is a quorum if required. Assist the chairperson in initiating the meeting with any necessary opening remarks, including approval of the previous meeting’s minutes, a roll call, or any formal acknowledgments.
• Present the meeting agenda. A secretary introduces the agenda items and guides participants on how the meeting will progress. Highlight any critical or time-sensitive topics that need priority attention. Also, help the chairperson keep the discussion on track during the meeting so that no points are missed.
• Take meeting minutes and meeting notes. Your primary role during the meeting is to write effective meeting minutes as a secretary and document the proceedings. Record key points, decisions made, actions required with deadlines, and who is responsible for those actions.
• Facilitate the meeting flow. Half of all executives are faced with as many as 15 meetings per week. At the same time, according to a recent Microsoft report, having too many meetings is one of the top obstacles to productivity. This only highlights the importance of ensuring a meeting is on schedule and that discussions lead to clear decisions. This way, you help facilitate meeting productivity and save meeting participants’ time.
  Handle interruptions and questions. Support the chairperson in maintaining a respectful and productive atmosphere. If board members speak out of turn, gently remind them of the protocol. If questions arise regarding procedures, voting, or agenda items, provide the necessary clarification or redirect to the appropriate authority.
• Close the meeting. Before the end of the meeting, provide a brief summary of the key decisions, action items, and responsibilities. Ensure everyone is on the same page regarding what needs to be done, deadlines, and the next meeting date, if scheduled.

Post-meeting follow-up

A secret to effective meetings is quality follow-up. This is what a secretary should do after the meeting to ensure it meets its objectives:

• Distribute meeting minutes. The role of a corporate secretary involves taking and distributing meeting minutes. These should accurately capture key discussions, decisions made, action items, and any other important information. The distribution should be prompt, typically within a few days after the meeting, so that everyone is informed and aligned on the outcomes.
• Follow up on action items. A board secretary monitors the progress of action items that were assigned during the meeting. This involves communicating with responsible individuals or teams, sending reminders about deadlines, and ensuring that tasks are completed as agreed.
  Evaluate the meeting. To avoid unproductive meetings, a board secretary should evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting and define areas for improvement. Collect feedback from participants on aspects like meeting structure, time management, and clarity of discussions.
• Maintain a task tracker. If a task tracker or dedicated board management software like iDeals Board is used, update it with new tasks, deadlines, and statuses based on the meeting’s outcomes.

Compliance and legal considerations

Corporate secretary meeting duties also include ensuring that the board of directors operates within all relevant regulations and laws.

The main tasks are the following:

• Making sure the board operates within its articles of incorporation and bylaws
• Ensuring that the board complies with relevant laws, regulations, and corporate governance codes
• Keeping the board updated on changes in legal and regulatory requirements
• Adhering to ethical guidelines
• Managing regulatory filings, such as annual returns, financial statements, and changes in company information

Best practices for efficient meeting organization

To organize a meeting as a board secretary, also follow these general recommendations:

• Use dedicated software. Using a board portal like iDeals Board can help significantly streamline the steps involved in organizing meetings. These tools centralize agendas, documents, minutes, and communication channels, ensuring all members have easy access. Features like automated scheduling, document sharing, task assignments, and voting reduce administrative work and enhance efficiency.
• Encourage active engagement. Create a meeting environment that fosters participation from all board members. This can be done by sharing the agenda in advance and assigning tasks to each board member so that they can adequately prepare for the discussion. 
• Handle conflicts and issues diplomatically. During board meetings, conflicts may arise due to differing opinions. Manage these situations diplomatically and facilitate open discussions where all perspectives are considered, aiming for consensus-building rather than escalation.

Key takeaways

• When setting a meeting, a board secretary should follow certain guidelines to make sure it runs smoothly. 
• A secretary should take care of proper preparation for the meeting, ensure smooth and effective meeting execution, and make sure that post-meeting follow-up is included.
• A board secretary should also ensure that the board operates in compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and company bylaws.