Engaging Customer Advisory Board Meetings Start with Having the Right Content

One of the keys to successful Customer Advisory Board meetings is building agendas that will motivate members to attend and spark engaging discussion. So, where do you start with agenda development? How do you know that you’ve selected the right topics that will resonate with Board members? Here are a few items to consider as you start developing an agenda that’s meaningful to both your organization and your Board members:

Outcomes: Having pre-defined outcomes for your meeting will help steer your agenda development. Ask yourself the following questions ahead of time:

-          What is your definition of a successful meeting?

-          What will make this meeting valuable for your Board members?

- What will make this meeting valuable for your organization?

-          What are the ‘must have’ agenda topics?

Time Management: Selecting the right number of topics is imperative. The number of topics depends on what type of meeting you are holding – is this a short virtual session, a full-day meeting, or an event held over the course of multiple days? Regardless of format, factoring in enough time for discussion and questions ensures that the group can dig into topics and not just skim the surface. Finding the right balance between the number of sessions and how much time to allot to each will help keep Board members engaged and even wanting more (which is helpful for future agenda development!).

Board Member Feedback: Gaining member feedback and topic prioritization ahead of the meeting is always incredibly valuable. Schedule one-on-one calls with Board members where possible or, at the very least, ask them for input via email to understand their priority areas of interest and/or what topics are top of mind for them. This step will help you strategically co-create an agenda that will lead to engaging peer discussion throughout the session.

Board Member Case Studies: Featuring member case studies on the agenda is helpful in bringing topics to life, as clients can understand how others are utilizing services/products and overcoming challenges. Having a Board member share lessons learned and approaches that led to success is a fantastic way to spark peer discussion in your meeting.

Recent Events: There are always lessons to be learned from recent events ranging from technological failures, power outages, security breaches, ransomware attacks, fraudulent incidents, etc. Even though your company may not be directly responsible or affected by a recent event, holding constructive discussion that doesn’t just admire the problem but helps organizations plan and prepare for better security and resilience against future risk/harm could make for a meaningful session.

Keep the goal of running a meeting that is rich in peer discussion and deemed meaningful for all attendees in mind – that will ultimately help you be selective when choosing the right agenda topics.