Many teachers use a popular and innovate education practice called the flipped classroom model. In the model, students watch short videos and do online work at home. Teachers use classroom time to engage students in discussions, collaboration and project-based learning.
Boards are also turning to this model to increase board meeting effectiveness and improve board member engagement. Find out how a flipped agenda could help the board of your mission-driven organization be even more effective:
What is a flipped meeting agenda?
Flipped meeting agendas require board members watch prerecorded presentations and read materials before the meeting.
Meetings are shorter and more efficient, with the board spending their valuable time together asking questions, discussing and deliberating, not watching staff presentations.
The advantages of flipping the agenda
During traditional board meetings, board members listen to numerous presentations from staff members and the CEO. Staff must pack a lot of information into board meetings, including:
- Financial and budget updates
- Progress reports on initiatives and goals
- Donor and vendor status
- Operational data
…and many other topics.
The flipped agenda model allows the board to dive into their governance work right away, instead of wading through information that they may or may not absorb. Staff prerecord their presentations, which are linked in the online board agenda. Board members must do their homework by watching all the presentations before the board meeting.
With the presentations available before the board meetings, members can watch them in small batches, taking as long as they need to understand, study, and evaluate the information. They can replay or pause to take notes and jot down questions to ask at the board meeting. They may request more information based on the presentations.
This format can be more inclusive for board members who may have different learning styles or need accommodations.
It also allows members who can’t attend the meeting to stay informed and contribute asynchronously.
The flipped agenda model allows board members more time to engage in richer and more meaningful conversations at their meetings. With more time for discussion, decisions are more considered and more robust.
Board members will also build stronger bonds with one another and with executive leaders. Members of cohesive boards are more trusting of their board colleagues, which makes them more willing to express their opinions and bring their authentic selves to their board roles.
In summary, there are a myriad of benefits:
- Board members come better prepared
- More inclusive for board members who may have different learning styles
- Members who can’t attend the meeting stay informed
- Allows the board to dive into their governance work right away
- More time to engage in richer and more meaningful conversations at meetings
- Decisions are more considered and more robust
- A more cohesive board.
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