Conducting board meetings is a job that requires a keen eye as well as a careful pace, and an awareness of how board members’ time is being spent. To assist in this board management software such as a board portal can assist in the preparation of agendas and other materials for meetings before the time of the meeting which makes them more accessible to directors, increasing the number of participants during meetings, and enabling board members to review decisions and instructions prior to the meeting.
The first step is to clearly communicate the process of making decisions to the board. By clearly stating whether your board will be using consensus or voting methods to make decisions everyone will be aware of what is expected during the meeting. This also helps avoid confusion, for example, when a director raises an issue that has been discussed in a previous meeting.
After the resolution of old business, board moves to new items on the agenda. It here are the findings is crucial to respect other board members’ right to speak, as is the case with any discussion matter. The chair should limit one director to speak at any given time. The chair of the board must supervise the discussion, facilitating the conversation and ensuring all board members are present.
The board decides on the new item of business, and records its results in the minutes of its official meeting. When a member is not satisfied with the result of the vote, they can request that it be reconsidered, or that the issue be referred to a committee for further investigation.