A board of directors is an excellent way to make sure that your business is being managed effectively and that decisions are taken in an open and fair way. To be effective, the board should have all members actively involved and present at every meeting. A lack of attendance at meetings leads to a decrease in productivity and effective leadership. Here are some tips to aid you in improving your board of directors ‘ meetings.

Plan ahead: Make sure that the board members are provided with pertinent documents such as financial statements and other background materials in advance of the meeting, so that they are ready to participate with thoughtful questions. Sending information early gives board members the chance to review their schedules to ensure they will be able to attend.

Start at the right time: Start your meeting with a quick call to call the meeting to order and confirm that there is the quorum. This will demonstrate that the board respects everyone’s time.

Create a clear procedure to make decisions: A clear process to make decisions helps keep the discussion on track, and stops diverting or causing disruption to the meeting.

Encourage active participation. It isn’t easy to create an environment which all members great post to read feel comfortable sharing insights and perspectives. The chairperson has a crucial part to play, as they can encourage participation by inviting input from all sides, and facilitate discussion that is balanced and constructive. They can also establish ground guidelines for discussion to ensure that the discussion is concise and has equal time for all participants.