Whether you're the chair of your board or member of the management team, it's essential to know the ins as well as outs of meeting procedures for board members. Getting these down can help you ensure that your meetings run smoothly, and that important information is recorded and discussed.

Minutes of the Meeting

Minutes are an essential element of any board meeting. They serve as a formal document of the discussion decisions, votes, and resolutions adopted by the board. They also allow the board to revisit its decisions at any moment and can be required by law, investors, or other stakeholders.

Setting the Agenda

To ensure a successful meeting, the most important thing you can do is to communicate an agenda along with any other pertinent documents well ahead of time to all attendees. This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the agenda, and also prepare questions and comments. It will also prevent the meeting from becoming a slog by making sure that you cover all the items on the agenda and end on time.

Begin with the Key Issues

Start your board meeting by giving a general update on the current state of your company and then move to discussing future strategies and policies. This will keep the board involved and excited during the meeting, and it will ensure that the most important discussions are held first. It is also important to keep in mind that any topics that were not scheduled for discussion can be discussed at the meeting with the permission of the chairman and approval by a majority of the Directors present for the meeting.