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If your board meetings are not as productive as you would like, it could be time to make some changes. It is good to know that improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your board meetings is not difficult or time-consuming. The steps below can be carried out slowly over time and can have a dramatic effect on the overall quality of your meetings.

Start by establishing a clear agenda and imposing strict time limits for each item. By setting a specific limit on the time each topic can be discussed board members will be more likely to keep their comments brief and concise. In addition, appointing an individual to keep track of the time during meetings will help ensure that everyone is abiding by the rules.

Avoid topics in which only a handful of members of your board are knowledgeable. You might want to have one-on-one discussions with each board member in between meetings to dig deeper into issues that require further research or know-how. This way, you’ll reduce meeting time to subjects that require your board’s full attention.

Many board members have trouble getting the meeting back on track after it has begun. A lot of discussion can easily drift off-topic, particularly when board members have a connection to each other through social media and are talking about personal matters prior to the meeting’s start. Try to steer the discussion to the agenda item at hand and respectfully redirect the members when they continue to diverge.

Your board meetings should be a time of discussion and strategic decisions, not just a place to report on and provide updates. With a little planning, and a few small adjustments, your board meetings can be transformed into engaging, productive events that are essential to the growth and success of your company.