If you’re managing an existing board factors that influence professional ethics and decision making or planning to create your first one, you need to set your organization up for success using an established procedure. This article outlines general board meeting procedures to help you run meetings efficiently.

Board members should prepare well prior to each meeting by studying the board’s documents and asking questions in advance. This is an important step to keep meetings focused and on time. If you let members ask questions that are answered in the board package, they will slow the meeting down and leave less time for the key agenda items. Also, members must be willing to disclose any conflicts of interest that could impact the discussion.

The chair of the board opens the meeting with a recap of the focus for the meeting, as well as highlights from the pre-meeting calls and board pack. This helps to bring everyone in the discussion and orient them.

If a motion is made, the board members debate the issue according to strict rules about who is allowed to speak and how long they are allowed to speak. This ensures that all views are considered equally and the board can reach a consensus. It is crucial to respect the opinions of other members during debates by not interrupting and critiquing speakers directly.

Following the discussion, the board takes a vote on motions and decides the next step. The secretary of the company creates the minutes and sends the minutes to all present. The minutes can be approved at the next board meeting, or revised if necessary.

Anderson Anselmo