The board room is the key meetings where crucial decisions for your business are taken. Effective board meetings are crucial to the success of your organization, whether they lead to the development of a new strategy or prevent you from making a costly error in strategy. Etiquettes for boardrooms are important, as are a good understanding of the rules of parliament and the ability to stimulate productive discussions.
A properly-planned agenda is the cornerstone of an effective board meeting. It defines the goals of the meeting and defines the key issues to be discussed, and regulates the flow of discussion. It also enables the board to discuss all of the important issues within the designated meeting time and contributes significantly to the overall management of a business.
The presiding officer will call the meeting into order when the time is established. The presiding officer will then proceed to call the roll to confirm that there is a majority. Once all attendees are properly accounted for the agenda and previous minutes are approved. The board then goes over any unresolved old business and then discusses any other issues that were added to the agenda for this particular meeting. The board can call off an event once these issues are resolved.
To ensure a smooth boardroom, it is recommended to reduce time spent on reports or “have to” items. This allows the board to devote a larger percentage of the meeting to discussing the strategic direction of the board and other important matters. The board can also reduce on reports by asking committee and officer chairpersons to present only the most relevant information in a short and concise report prior to the meeting.