The board of directors manages a company by making decisions or setting policy. In most organizations, the decisions are taken by the majority vote of the board. Your board must have clear meeting rules and guidelines to ensure that the decision-making process is successful.
The meeting rules that most boards follow are based off Robert’s Rules of Order, an English parliamentary rule book written by American General Henry M. Robert in 1876 to avoid meetings devolving into chaos. While the application of Robert’s Rules of Order may not be necessary for every board, the use of formal guidelines can establish a framework for equitable debates in a virtual or hybrid meeting in which directors could feel lost in a jumble of faces displayed on the computer screen.
This includes ensuring the agenda is concise and clear. To do this, well-written documents for the board must be prepared and distributed prior the meeting to ensure directors are prepared to discuss. It’s also important to limit the amount of time devoted to routine and reports, which can easily drag down meetings.
Other rules for meetings include limiting the number of times a person can speak on the motion (two minutes) and ensuring that the speakers are relevant to the subject in question. A motion that is causing tension or a heated discussion can be voted off by two-thirds vote. To avoid being a waste of time, it is Data Revolution crucial that everyone respects one another and does not impede other members’ motives or use derogatory words.