If your board is made up of elected members, or if it is a non-profit organization or similar public body, there could be laws in place that require open meetings. These laws are commonly referred to as Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts and they require that the board’s business be conducted in public. Non-members are also allowed to attend and in some instances make comments.
When the board is ready to begin the member who presided at the last meeting should “call the meeting to call it to”. This usually involves stating, ‘I call this meeting to be ordered’ or something similar in a voice that commands. Then, usually, there are two taps on the gavel and it signifies that the meeting has officially started.
Make sure you have a clear agenda prior to when the board meeting starts. The agenda should be concise and clear that outlines the main issues and the major decisions the board will have to take. Avoid putting too many subjects on the agenda, or using an agenda from a prior meeting.
Interrupting your board with discussions on new topics can consume valuable time and distract the participants from the issues on your agenda. Consider putting a parking area at the end of your agenda. This is where you can add topics that aren’t considered to be high priority. You can http://electronicboardportal.net/what-do-you-say-to-open-a-board-meeting promise to revisit them in the future or add them to the following meeting.
Request feedback from your board on how the meetings went and what you can do to improve the meetings. This will make your board members more invested in the outcome and more engaged.