When opening a board meeting, the board chair notes that the board has met to discuss its business. This simple statement establishes that the meeting is official and allows the chair to begin discussing agenda items in a timely manner.
Before discussing agenda items, the chair confirms that a quorum present. This is done by calling the names of all attendees, and ensuring that the board has enough members to conduct official business.
Distracted by new topics of discussion can eat up time and distract attention from the most important issues. Setting up a “parking lot” at the end of your agenda where the group agrees to push random topics for discussion at a later date could aid in reducing this issue. Follow through on your promise to return to the parking area to determine if the topic should be further researched, added to the agenda of the board or delegated.
Once the board has established the quorum, and has begun to discuss, it should hear any committee reports that were circulated prior to the meeting. The board then should discuss the issues and decide what to do next. This may include the vote on a resolution or simply asking members to express their opinions on a certain item. Be sure http://electronicboardportal.net/types-of-boards-and-board-members-categories to keep track of all discussions and actions in the minutes of the board. Using a program like Boardable’s Minutes Maker ensures that your minutes of board meetings are organized, thorough and easy to be read by attendees as well as non-attendees.