Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Networking/Social Time

Some boards have found it beneficial to include social/networking time on the agenda. This has to be something closely monitored by the chair to ensure it is not too time consuming and doesn't take away from priorities of the meeting. It should be something that everyone agrees upon.

An alternative can be to tag social time onto the beginning or end of a meeting. It is an optional time for members to either arrive early or stay later to catch up with other board members and share information. Boards may also opt to have a social gathering once or twice a year in place of a regular meeting, such as a dinner or cocktail party in December or a BBQ/picnic during the summer months.

It is important for boards to have social opportunities as it builds a more cohesive team and ultimately leads to more productive and effective meetings. See this video clip where CLO board member Elizabeth Debergh speaks about activities she plans as an Executive Director for her board at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bmySXOj30E.

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