Maximize your weekly executive board meetings

Congratulations! You’ve been elected to your chapter’s executive board. What now? The first step to creating a solid reputation for your executive board is to learn the basics. It all starts with the exec board meeting.

Efficient and effective executive board meetings can make or break your board. Below are several tips for making the most of your fellow officers’ time:

• Schedule. Meetings should be scheduled for the same time each week that doesn’t conflict with anyone’s schedule. Plan on one-hour meetings, but prepare for a few to be longer. Avoid scheduling immediately before the chapter meeting as this can rush your exec meeting.
  
  

• Prepare. Know what you are going to talk about, know what you need from other board members.
  
  
• Make an Agenda. This is a good job for the vice president of communication. Have each officer submit his talking points in advance, and print copies of the agenda for all attendees.
  
  
• Be Concise. No one wants to spend three hours a week in an exec meeting. Stick to the essential information you need to communicate. Avoid getting sidetracked.
  
  
• Don’t Fear Healthy Conflict. If you have a contentious issue to discuss, put it on the agenda, set a time limit, and figure it out. Be respectful of each other and remember that ultimately you all want the same thing: a better SigEp. Also, once you’ve made a decision as a board, support it unanimously.
  
  
• Keep the Meeting Moving. Ask yourself if the discussion requires the attention of the executive board, or should a committee handle it? If not, the chapter president should move to the next topic.
  
  
• Plan Your Chapter Meeting. The exec board meeting should be the place where your board comes together to plan out the weekly chapter meeting. This way, you can all work toward the same agenda, and have the chapter meeting go as smoothly as possible.
  
  
• Review Goals. Remember that time you had an awesome exec retreat, made SMART goals, and identified three to five priorities for your board to focus on? Revisiting your goals weekly and updating the board on their progress is a good way to make sure that you are working towards them every day.
  
  
• Involve Alumni. Even if your chapter counselor can’t make every meeting, it’s always good to have some experience, wisdom, and outside perspective in the room.
  
  
• Take Notes. Have the vice president of communication or chapter secretary take notes, record votes, and publish them to the chapter. This will increase transparency and keep the chapter informed.

Keep your exec meetings productive and concise to model the leadership you want to see throughout the chapter. Make sure that you cover the essential business of running the chapter, and leave other matters for other meetings. For more information, see our resources for working as an executive board or talk to your RD.

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