Conducting a Board of Directors Meeting
A board of directors’ meeting is an excellent opportunity to discuss the future of the company, make important decisions and create the company’s policies. The success of your meetings will depend on the quality of your discussions and the quality of your board’s leadership. Board meetings also permit you to create key performance indicators (KPIs) and monitor the progress towards your company’s goals.
A well-crafted agenda will help guide your board discussions and keep the board meeting efficient, productive and focused. Directors should be prepared for each board meeting by reading the board papers and agenda sent out before the meeting. This is a standard procedure to ensure each director is able to participate in productive discussions.
The chair must confirm that a quorum is present when the meeting starts. This is usually done with the roll-call method, which will identify those who are present to legally conduct business.
Next, the board should listen to reports from standing and special committees. The board members should then discuss the report. The board might need to spend more time with the issue to determine the most effective solution.
It is crucial that directors respect the opinions of others and avoid body language, whispering or notes that undermine the opinion of another. Directors should listen carefully and only speak when asked.