The way the board meetings are conducted has an important impact on how productive and informative the discussions are. It is essential to establish clear expectations of how meetings will function and how they will be conducted.
In general, board meetings should not be dominated by reading reports. Instead committee chairs should go over their reports ahead of time and present them during the meeting. The board should then be able to discuss each report, as well as the information contained within it, within the context of the larger goals of the company.
Board members must be able to communicate openly and freely in order to have productive discussions. This means that board members must respect other members their right to speak. Interrupting other board members, while there are exceptions, is generally considered poor manners.
It is a common mistake to bring an issue or topic for discussion without a clear direction of what the board must be doing. This can make the conversation feel a bit stale and unproductive. Instead, begin with a general proposal for actions https://www.boardroomate.com/how-to-improve-board-performance/ and let everyone consider the pros and cons of each idea.
It is essential to ensure that important information is not left out by having a board secretary or an experienced individual taking notes at the meeting. However, it is critical to communicate clearly the process by which the board comes to its decisions–whether by consensus or voting–and who is responsible for preparing the minutes.