The board room is where your company’s most important decisions are taken. Effective board meetings are essential to the success of your company regardless of whether they lead to an innovative approach to strategic planning or help you avoid making a costly mistake. The proper manner of conducting a boardroom, a thorough understanding of the rules of parliament and the ability to ignite productive discussion are the key to success.
A well-planned agenda is a key element of an effective board meeting. It sets the agenda for the meeting and outlines the key questions that need to be discussed, and guides the flow of the discussion. It lets the board cover the essential issues within the meeting time. It also contributes to the overall management of a company.
To start off the meeting, the presiding officer calls the meeting to order at the scheduled starting time and then proceeds to call roll to ensure that there is a quorum of board members is present. Once all attendees are counted for the agenda and prior minutes are approved. The board then goes over any issues from the past that remain unresolved and then discusses any new items that have been added to the agenda. After these issues are discussed, the board can adjourn the meeting.
To ensure that you have an efficient boardroom, it’s recommended to limit the amount of time spent on reports and « have-to » items. This will give the board more time to discuss the most important issues and the direction of the business. The board can also limit the number of reports by asking the officers and committee chairs to provide only the most important information in a concise and short report before the meeting.
