A board of directors is a great way to make sure that your business is properly managed and decisions taken in a fair, open manner. But for the board to be effective, it's essential that all members are actively engaged and attend every meeting. Poor meeting attendance causes an increase in productivity and results in the loss of effective leadership. Here are a few tips to help you improve the quality of your board meetings.
Plan ahead: Make sure that the board members have received relevant information, including financial statements, reports and background materials prior to the day of the meeting. This will enable them to be prepared with thoughtful questions. In addition, sending the information ahead of time gives board members time to check their schedules and ensure they are free to attend.
Start your meeting on time. The meeting should be called to begin and confirm the quorum. This will demonstrate to the board that it respects everyone's time.
Establish a clear system for making decisions: A clear procedure for making decisions can help keep the discussion on track, and keeps tangents from distracting or derailing the discussion.
Encourage active participation. It isn't easy to create a setting in which all members feel at ease sharing their thoughts and ideas. The chairperson has a big role to play in this in that they can promote participation by inviting input from all sides and encouraging balanced and constructive discussions. They can also set the ground guidelines for discussion to ensure that the discussion is concise and has equal airtime for all participants.