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Board members spend 5 to 6 hours in meetings each month, yet meetings are not always as productive or enjoyable as they would like.  To rid ourselves of boring meetings, we invited activist, author, and consultant, Emily Davis.  Emily explains how rotating responsibilities, strategic conversations, and extracurricular activities will improve your board meetings. Links: Emily’s site: www.emilydavisconsulting.com Emily’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilydavisconsulting Link to Emily’s book, Fundraising and the Next Generation: www.emilydavisconsulting.com/publication/fundraisingnextgeneration/ Link to Roberta’s Rules of Order: https://www.amazon.com/Robertas-Rules-Order-Through-Meetings/dp/0787964239 As promised, here is a photo of the great ballroom we were recording in: *****Time Stamped Highlights***** (4:00) Why most board meetings are not engaging (5:30) How your board can better compose and use “report outs” (7:00) The importance of food to encourage attendance (8:00) Thinking of a meeting as a theatre performance (9:00) Why the pre- and post- meeting conversations are models for strategic discussion (11:40) Before, during, and after: How to make the most of your board meetings (12:15) Alice Cochran’s advice on “rotating responsibilities”  (14:36) Your board members need to stop asking “what” and start asking “why” (16:00) Breaking the myth of only having one minute taker for meeting minutes (17:30) Making your board members comfortable assuming multiple roles (19:50) Beginning your meetings with mission moments (21:05) Having each member come to meetings with prepared, strategic questions (24:00) Keeping your board structures simple (28:00) The true role of the Governance Committee (31:40) Emily and Dolph share the importance of a “spousal club” (32:45) Emily and Dolph discuss three things to do in one-on-one meetings