The Importance of Board Meeting Rules

The board of directors governs a company by making decisions or establishing policy. In most companies, the decisions are taken by a majority vote of the entire board. Your board should have clear meeting rules and guidelines to ensure a smooth decision-making process.

The majority of boards adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order. This is an English parliamentary rulebook written by American General Henry M. Robert to prevent meetings from becoming chaotic. While the implementation of Robert’s Rules of Order may not be required for every board, the application of formal guidelines can create a framework that ensures an even debate in a virtual or hybrid meeting where directors might be lost in a sea of faces displayed on the computer screen.

This includes ensuring the agenda is concise and clear. In order to do this, well-written board documents are required to be prepared and distributed prior the meeting to ensure that directors are ready for discussion. It is important to limit the time spent on routine issues and reports, as they can drag out an entire meeting.

Other rules of meetings include limiting how many times someone can speak about a motion (two minutes) and ensuring that the participants are relevant to the subject at hand. If a specific motion is causing heated debate or creating tension, a motion to close discussion can be made with the approval of two-thirds. To avoid unnecessary time, it is essential that everyone respects one another and www.boardmeetingpro.net/essential-board-meeting-procedures-and-rules does not undermine the motives of the other members or use snide language.