A board of directors is a great way to ensure that your business is managed well and decisions made in a fair, transparent manner. However, for the board to be effective, it’s essential that all members are actively involved and are present at every meeting. Infrequent attendance at meetings can lead to a decrease in productivity as well as a decrease in effective leadership. Here are some suggestions to improve your board meeting.
Plan ahead: Ensure that all board members receive relevant information like reports, financial statements and background documents prior to the meeting to ensure they are ready to participate with thoughtful questions. In addition, sending the information ahead of time gives board members an opportunity to review their schedules and confirm they are free to attend.
Start promptly: Begin your meeting with a short call to start the meeting and confirm the quorum. This will show the board that it respects everyone’s time.
Set up a clear and concise decision-making process: A clear decision-making process helps keep the discussion focused and prevents divergent thoughts that could derail the meeting.
Encourage active participation: Creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions isn’t easy. The chairperson has a crucial role to play here as they can facilitate participation by inviting input from all sides and facilitating balanced and constructive discussions. They can also set ground guidelines for discussion to make sure that everyone has a concise message and equal time for all participants.