How to Open a Board Meeting

If your board consists of elected members, or if it is a non-profit organization or similar public entity, there might be laws in place that require http://electronicboardportal.net/ensure-regulatory-compliance-reporting-efficiency-with-top-board-reporting-software an open meeting. These laws are often referred to as Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts and they require that the board’s business be conducted in public. The laws also allow non-members the ability to attend and, in certain cases even to speak.

When the board is set to begin the person who presided over the last meeting should “call the meeting to call it to”. This typically involves saying”I call this meeting to call’ or something similar in an authoritative voice. In most cases the next step is two taps on the gavel, which indicates that the meeting has officially begun.

Be sure to have a clear agenda prior to when the board meeting gets underway. The agenda should be focused and clearly define the most important issues that the board needs to discuss, and the decisions they have to make. Avoid putting too many items on the agenda or repeating an agenda from the previous meeting.

The constant stream of new topics to discuss can consume time and distract them from the issues on your agenda. Consider adding a parking lot to the final section of your agenda where you can put topics on the table that aren’t high on your list and make a promise to revisit them in the future, or add them to the next meeting.

Ask your board members for feedback on how the meetings went, and what you can do to improve the meetings. This will make your board members feel more engaged and invested in the outcome of the meeting.