In this workshop, designed for Chairs, Corporate Secretaries, and Directors, the workshop facilitators will explore best practices for preparing for and participating in a Board of Directors meeting. Throughout the workshop, attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences to benchmark with their peers and obtain input from the workshop facilitators.

Workshop lecture topics include:

• Understanding what goes into the meeting agenda and the timeline for preparing the agenda and pre-reads
• Understanding the use of the consent agenda: what items should be included and what items should not be included?
• Drafting accurate and compliant meeting minutes, including recording conflicts of interest and Director recusals
• Can Directors take their own notes during the Board meeting? Must they be destroyed after the approval of the meeting minutes?
• Who signs the meeting minutes? Is this required?
• How can Corporate Secretaries support Chairs to be better prepared and run effective meetings?
• How can Board Chairs and Corporate Secretaries support Directors to be better prepared and contribute meaningfully?
• Exploring the nuances of operation versus management
• Managing meeting agendas and potential conflicts of interest concerns when a member of management (i.e., the CEO, or Corporate Secretary) is a member of the Board of Directors
• Best practices for virtual or hybrid board meetings
• Avoiding document overload – what documents are truly necessary to review?
• How should documents that do not require a formal decision be presented (e.g., consent agenda; information item)