The Board meeting procedures are the guidelines that govern decisions, discussions and other aspects of the meeting. They are designed to promote fairness and equality among all participants, and encourage efficient meetings.
A meeting chair calls the meeting to order by making an introduction and then determines whether or not there is quorum present. They also introduce guests attending the meeting, no matter if they are outside the company or have recently joined the board. Then, they conduct an examination of the previous meeting minutes and a chance for any corrections to be completed before the minutes are officially accepted.
Reports and updates from executive committees, committees or other members are then presented during the time. They can be in the form or graphs, charts or slides to show the data and provide an understanding of the discussion. This section should be as short as possible, and should focus on the most important points.
The majority of the meeting is spent in back-and-forth discussions and answering questions. This is a great chance to gain insight from other board members’ perspectives and explore strategic options. It is also beneficial to discuss any significant milestones or major areas of improvement that have been identified since the last meeting.
It is important to clearly explain the process for making decisions during the meeting. Ideally, this is done through consensus, but should always include a vote process. Whatever method of decision-making is used, it is essential that everyone understands the process and is familiar with the rules that define the hierarchy of various kinds of motions.