If your board consists of elected members, or is a non-profit or similar public organization, there may be laws in place that require an open meeting. These laws are commonly called Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts and require that the board’s business be conducted in a public manner. The laws also grant non-members access to the meeting and, in certain cases even to speak.

The person who presided at the previous meeting will “call the meeting to order” when the board is ready. This is usually done by saying “I call this meeting to order” or something similar, using a a strong voice. Then, usually, there are two taps of the givenl and it signifies that the meeting has officially started.

Before the meeting gets underway be sure http://electronicboardportal.net/what-do-you-say-to-open-a-board-meeting/ to have a an agenda clearly laid out. The agenda should be centered and clearly define the key topics that the board must discuss, as well as the decisions they must make. Avoid putting too many topics on the agenda or using an agenda from a previous meeting.

Interrupting your board with new topics to discuss can consume valuable time and distract them from the issues on your agenda. You might want to consider adding a parking space at the end of your agenda. This is where you can add topics that aren’t high priority. You can make a promise to revisit them later or add them to the following meeting.

Request feedback from your board on how the meetings went, and what you can do to improve them. This will ensure that your board members are more involved in the process and more engaged.