Minutes of the previous meeting

Recently I participated in a board retreat and listened with interest while the facilitator extolled the benefits of using a consent agenda to create better board meetings This board had used such an agenda but I never really understood the benefits for two reasons. First, no one explained why we used it when I first joined the board. Second, even though items were on the consent agenda, it seemed as though we generally discussed each one separately, sometimes in excruciating detail. Since our board meetings were often three hours in length, I was interested to hear the facilitator's suggestions, particularly when she expressed her belief that good board meetings can be completed in ninety minutes and that this includes time for meaningful discussion on strategic issues.

What did I learn? First, it is important that everyone on the board understand what should be included in a consent agenda. Although it may differ, generally there are five items commonly found in these agendas: