How to make for more engaging board meetings

1. Jonathan
E.
Mar,n
Clair
Ward

3. Commonly Heard
about Board Meetings

4. I don’t learn anything that I couldn’t have read in a report.

5. All the decisions are made before we arrive.

6. We always hear from the same people.

7. My opinion doesn’t really matter or even get solicited.

8. All they want is my money. What about my knowledge and expertise?

9. It’s one report after another

10. We rarely get to hear from the students and faculty, just administrators

11. I don’t understand what our head and administrators mean
by 21st century learning. Is that just jargon?

12. Why is it always good news? I want to know what the problems are so I can help.

13. Disagreement isn’t appropriate. Why does every vote have to unanimous?
Ye
s
Ye
s
Ye
s
Ye
s
Ye
s

14. I would never run a meeting like this at my business

15. Needs:
To
be*er
engage
the
board.
To
generate
be*er,
deeper
thinking
about
cri8cal
issues.
To
introduce
and
orient
the
board
to
21st
century
learning.

16. Two birds with one stone.
Use 21st Century Teaching and Learning Techniques,
e.g., flipped classroom, case study, PBL, design thinking, gallery walks, etc.

17. VIDEO

18. Employ
performance
task
assessment
and
project-­‐
based
learning
strategies:
Task:
Consider
Hill’s
strategic
goal
of
becoming
a
“des5na5on
place
of
employment”
for
the
most
talented
boarding
school

19. • Form
Teams
• Provide
challenge
ques8on
• Provide
materials
to
study,
examine,
interpret
• Provide
research
resources
for
further
inquiry
• Invite
addi8onal
research
• Require
explana8on
of
answer
in
form
of
both
posters
and
presenta8ons

20. Apply
the
case
study
method
to
contemplate
the
acquisi8on
of
a
nearby
property.

21. • Create
4-­‐5
page
HBR
style
Case
Study
and
distribute
in
advance
• Conclude
Case
Study
with
a
ques8on:
• What
should
the
Headmaster
and
Board
Chair
Do?
• Invite
Small
Groups
to
discuss
• Facilitate
full
group
discussion,
s8mulate
debate,
seek
consensus

22. •
Use
a
flipped
classroom
approach
to
review
Hill’s
new
Campus
Master
Plan;

23. • Instead
of
wri*en
report,
produce
film
as
comprehensive
introduc8on
to
the
topic
and
issues.
• Distribute
and
Ask
Trustees
to
Watch
Film
in
Advance
• Jump
straight
to
Q&A
about
film
• Prepare
and
post
posters
about
the
cri8cal
issues
raised
in
film,
and
ask
Trustees
to
ask
as
many
ques8ons
and
make
as
many
comments
as
possible.

24. • Par8cipate
in
a
collabora,ve
learning
protocol
to
evaluate
the
preliminary
case
statement
for
our
comprehensive
capital
campaign.

25. •
Use
PLC
and
Cri8cal
Friends
Group
Protocols
• Invite
Faculty
Leaders
to
Facilitate
• Use
with
Real,
Per8nent
Ma*ers

29. •
Try
back-­‐channeling
and
real-­‐,me
classroom
response
systems
to
consider
the
proposed
FY2015
budget,
revisions
to
the
strategic
plan,
and
the
funding
of
campaign
expenses;

30. •
Learn
how
to
produce
screencasts
to
share
our
board
commi*ee
reports.

32. Culture
of
Conversa8on
• The
region
• The
School
&
the
Board
of
Trustees
• Recent
Growth

33. The
Challenge
• Engage
the
strategic
posture
of
each
trustee
• Address
the
unthinkable:
finances

34. Retreat
Format
• Opening
&
context
(Board
President)
• Financial
picture
(Board
treasurer)
– Current
architecture
– 20-­‐year
forecast
• Small
group
work
– Is
it
or
should
it
be
the
Board’s
goal
to
run
VSL
without
financial
support
from
the
founding
family?
– Will
the
current
financial
model
sustain
us
indefinitely?
What
will
Valley
need
financially
to
sustain
itself
in
20
years?
– What
is
keeping
us
from
making
the
decisions
we
would
want
to
make?
• Dinner
and
Gallery
Walk
• Genera8ve
Discussion
• Iden8fica8on
of
Next
Steps

35. Next
Steps/Advice
• Rotate
the
Board
mee8ngs
throughout
the
building
• Use
of
case
studies
• Use
of
par8cipant
polls
• Board
of
Visitors
• Consider
using
consultants
and/or
organiza8onal
psychologist
to
help
shig
culture
carefully/construc8vely