It can be difficult and confusing to conduct an effective board meeting, especially when multiple perspectives are being considered. A board needs to reach agreement on a range of issues which can be difficult when some members have an active role while others are not as involved. It can be a challenge to keep discussions on track and on time, particularly if the board goes over its time limit.
A well-written agenda as well as a well-organized distribution system for documents for board members is crucial to a successful meeting of the board. Management should prepare an «board http://www.myboardroom.info/nasdaq-board-portal-review/ packet» and distribute it to all board members 3 to four working days prior to the meeting. This will ensure that everyone has the information needed to be able to take part. This will allow directors to ask questions and discuss the background information with their peers before the board meeting.
A clear process for making decisions is crucial to a successful meeting of the board. It is helpful to clarify whether the board will make decisions by consensus or voting and also to establish a timeframe for the time frame for making decisions. Making the effort to define this can help ensure that all viewpoints are considered and facilitates open dialogue during the meeting.
It is also crucial that the chair of the board actively facilitates discussions and encourages everyone to participate. It can be detrimental to the board if only a few people dominates the discussion. This could lead to an absence of participation from others and result in poor decisions. To help prevent this the chair should establish ground rules at the beginning of the meeting. These rules encourage concise and balanced airtime for each member of the board.