The importance of board meetings is that the decisions made by your board, which typically require the majority of votes or even an unanimous agreement is likely to have a significant impact on the business. This means that you face a lot of constraints to work within but they aren’t as difficult as you think.

A successful board meeting requires a lot of preparation and planning before the meeting. If your board members do not believe they’re completely prepared, they will struggle to engage in meaningful discussions during the meeting. This could lead to your decision-making process being bogged down or even derailled. It is important to distribute your board pack at least a couple of days prior to the meeting to make sure you don’t get this.

At the start of the meeting, your board chair must review any board meetings software ground rules with the participants (e.g., how long discussions can last, how to make decisions). This will help everyone understand the rules and create a positive atmosphere.

Reports are typically presented in the next part of a meeting. This could include financial statements, progress reports or other relevant information. The chair of the board will call each member out to ensure that there is a quorum.

During this phase, the board can also examine and discuss the minutes of the previous meeting. Once they are ready and approved by the board, they can be ratified by the minutes. Afterward, any announcements or updates that are relevant for the current meeting are shared. The president can also close the meeting or call it off.