Board Meeting Consultant · Perth, Western Australia
A board meeting can be your organisation’s greatest asset, or its greatest liability. I train board Chairs and board members to make it the first kind.
“Sometimes improving a board meeting isn’t about changing the agenda. It’s about changing the conversation.”
Why it matters
None of that happens by accident. It happens because the board works well together. Either your board is driving the organisation forward with clarity and good governance, or it’s consuming time, generating conflict and leaving people wondering what goes on in that room. I’ve seen both. The difference isn’t luck. It’s knowledge, structure and the willingness to deal with what’s really going on.
Every board can improve
Some habits help. Some quietly erode effectiveness. Do any of these sound familiar?
These are rarely governance problems. They’re board meeting problems. And they can be fixed.
More than meeting procedure
The road rules matter. But knowing them doesn’t make you a good driver. My work goes deeper than standing orders and points of order. It’s about the whole machinery of a board: how it thinks, how it behaves, how it makes decisions, and whether it serves or fails the organisation it represents.
Chair of a board? The Chair sets the tone for everything. See my Chairing Meetings training.
Looking beyond the agenda
My background combines governance, communication, facilitation and meeting effectiveness. That lets me see what others miss: the conversations that never happen, the questions left unasked, and the small behaviours that shape the quality of board decisions.
The big picture and the detail
From above, a hawk sees the whole landscape. The patterns, the relationships, the movement invisible from the ground. Then, in an instant, it can focus on one important detail.
That’s how I work. Throughout a board meeting I’m moving between the strategic picture and the smallest interaction. Great boards pay attention to both.
Training for board Chairs and board members
Not just the official ones. Every board has its characters: those who serve the mission, those there for the title, and those who mean well but cause chaos.
The things every effective board must have in place. Without them you’re not governing. You’re guessing.
For the organisation, the people it serves, and sometimes the directors themselves. A few consequences are career-ending.
Decades of them. They’ll make you wince and quietly check your own board for the warning signs. Names protected. Lessons intact.
Not everyone is on a board for the right reasons. Spotting them early, and knowing what to do, is one of the most valuable skills a board leader can have.
One difficult personality can bring a board to its knees. Handle it firmly and fairly, without turning every meeting into a confrontation.
The frameworks that make it work
Every board decision filtered through this lens. When it is, the politics shrink and the purpose expands.
Three words worth pinning above every boardroom door. The standard every board should be measured against.
How I help boards
Need someone to chair a difficult board meeting? See Impartial Chair.
What you can expect
I start with your organisation and the outcomes you want, often speaking with the Chair and CEO.
I sit in on one or more board meetings and review your agendas and board papers.
You get practical, respectful recommendations designed to strengthen the board, not just list problems.
Chair coaching, facilitated discussions and development workshops to make the changes stick.
Why boards choose David Price
It’s to help your board become more effective in the way it reaches those decisions. For more than 40 years I’ve worked with boards across corporate organisations, local government, professional associations, member organisations and the not-for-profit sector.
I work with corporate boards, local government councils, advisory boards, committees, not-for-profit boards, professional associations, member organisations and executive leadership teams. Experienced or newly formed, every board benefits from an independent perspective.
Questions
A board meeting consultant helps boards improve the way they prepare for, conduct and follow up meetings, leading to stronger governance, better decision making and greater board effectiveness.
No. The decisions always belong to the board. My role is to strengthen the process that leads to those decisions.
Yes. Observing a board meeting often gives valuable insight into board dynamics, communication, decision making and meeting effectiveness.
Absolutely. A board’s effectiveness is closely linked to the effectiveness of its Chair. Chair coaching is one of the most valuable ways to lift overall board performance.
Yes. I regularly facilitate board planning days, governance workshops and strategic planning sessions in Perth and across Australia.
Chairs of boards and board members, from seasoned directors to the newly appointed. It covers how the whole board thinks, behaves and makes decisions, not just formal procedure. Board Chairs can take it further with my Chairing Meetings training.
Better boards begin with better conversations
Seasoned director, new appointee, Chair or CEO trying to get more from your board: if you’re ready to strengthen the way your board meets and decides, I’d welcome the chance to help.