The way board meetings are conducted has a significant impact on how efficient and insightful the discussions are. To maximize the value of every meeting, it’s important to establish clear expectations for how the meetings are expected to operate and how the decisions will be made.
Generally speaking the board meetings should not be dominated by reading from reports. Instead, the chairpersons of committees should go over their reports in advance and present them during the meeting. The board will then be able to discuss each report and the information contained in it in the context of the overall goals of the company.
Board members must be able to communicate openly and freely to have productive discussions. This also means that board members must respect each other’ right to speak. While there are some exceptions interfering with other board members is generally regarded as unprofessional.
It is a common error to bring an issue or topic to discuss without a clear direction of what the board should be doing. This can make the conversation seem stale and boring. Instead, start with a general suggestion for actions and let everyone take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each idea.
A board secretary or any other knowledgeable person take notes during the meeting https://www.boardroomate.com/how-to-improve-board-performance/ can aid in ensuring that important information is not lost. But, it is crucial to communicate clearly the process by which the board comes to its decision–whether it is through the voting process or consensus–and who will be responsible for the preparation of the minutes.
