Conducting a Board of Directors Meeting

Conducting a board meeting isn’t easy and can be complicated, especially when there are a variety of views to consider. The board has to reach a consensus on many issues and this can be challenging when some members are more vocal whereas others aren’t as involved. It can be challenging to keep the discussions on content track, particularly if they go over the allotted time.

A well-planned agenda and a simple procedure for the distribution of board documents is essential to run a successful board meeting. To ensure that every board member is aware of all the information needed to participate, the best practice is for management to prepare the “board package” in advance and share it with everyone 3-4 days prior to the meeting. This will allow directors to ask questions and discuss background information with their peers before the board meeting.

A clear procedure for making decisions is crucial to an effective meeting of the board. It is helpful to clearly state whether the board will take decisions by consensus or voting and to set a timeline for the time when decisions will be taken. Making the effort to define this will help ensure that all viewpoints are considered and permits open discussion during the meeting.

It is also important that the chair of the board actively facilitate discussions and encourage all members of the board to be involved. It can be detrimental to the board when one or a small group of individuals dominates the discussion. This could result in a lack of participation from other members and a lack of effective decisions. To prevent this from happening, the chair can introduce ground rules at the start of the meeting that allow for concise comments and equal time for each member of the board.