Board meetings are a significant responsibility that requires careful planning, a fast pace, and a keen awareness of the time devoted by board members. Tools for managing board meetings such as portals, can aid in these endeavors by facilitating the preparation of agendas and article meeting materials ahead of time. This will increase the number of attendees and let board members examine directives and other decisions prior to the meeting.
The first step is to clearly communicate the process of making decisions to the board. By clearly stating if your board will use consensus or voting methods to make decisions everyone will be aware of what is expected at the meeting. This will help avoid confusion when, for instance a director brings up an issue that was already discussed at a prior meeting.
After settling old business, the board will move on to new items on the agenda. As with all discussions it is essential to respect the rights of other board members to speak. The chair should allow only one director to speak at any given time. The board chair must also be in charge of the discussion, assuring the discussion and ensuring that all members of the board are involved.
The board votes on the new item of business, and records its decisions in the minutes of its official meeting. If a board member is unhappy with the outcome of a vote, they can request that it be reconsidered. They can also request that the matter be taken to a committee to conduct further investigation.