Board meetings are where board members offer valuable input on a company’s development. They can also be an opportunity for board members to create trust and camaraderie.
A successful board meeting starts by clearly stating the purpose of the meeting before the board meets. Sending a board packet that includes all the information necessary for the discussion is one way to achieve this.
Robert’s Rules of Order is used by some boards as a guideline for their meetings. However this book isn’t required for all boards. In general, it’s the chair’s responsibility to make sure that all materials and invitations are sent out in time, that notes are taken and that all board members receive the required materials prior to the meeting.
One of the most frequent errors that companies commit is not preparing and distributing their board documents in advance. It’s essential that you communicate the board meeting objectives to everyone in attendance prior to the start of the board’s meeting, so that directors have the chance to prepare and ask questions before the meeting. This allows time in the meeting for discussion and enables you to keep the meeting as brief as possible. If you have one of your board members who insists on a lengthy report to be included in the agenda, then schedule it to run for at least an hour before any break.