Effective Board Meetings

Why are you here?

Why do Board Meetings last so long?!?

What do you think of when you hear the words “Parliamentary Procedure”?

Why use Parliamentary Procedure? To protect the rights of the individual to participate in the meeting. To provide an avenue for the decisions of the majority of the Board to prevail. To protect the rights of the minority to be heard.

THE AGENDA The agenda answers the question, why are we here? This is your road map or Garmin (Garmin- recalculating, recalculating) The purpose is to keep the Board on the road It should be available a week before the meeting, however changes may be made

THE PRESIDENT Sets the tone of the meeting Keeps the meeting on course Have a time limit 3-5 minutes per member Offers a kind, “is that a motion” or “I will accept a motion at this time” Does not let one or more members continue their dialog, until each member has had a chance to give their opinion on the subject

THE PRESIDENT Should be considerate but firm with speakers Don’t let a bully dominate Be as flexible as the situation allows When the discussion slows down or gets repeated, they may call for the question

CALL TO ORDER The Chairperson’s responsibility to get the meeting officially started Similar to a trip, “let’s get in the car” “buckle up”

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES By far the most important position on the Board is that of the Secretary Record what was done, not what was said The minutes should be available prior to the meeting and need not be read All motions should have the names of who made the motion, who seconded the motion, and the results of the motion

APPROVAL OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT The financial statement as well should be available in advance of the meeting to the Board Questions should be asked in advance so answers may be correctly explained

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS Committees do not form policy Recommendations are brought before the Board The Board must “approve” or “not approve” all recommendations for legal reasons The Board is insured, committees are not

OLD BUSINESS Old business items were topics that were tabled, or required additional information, redefining, or readdressing from a future meeting

NEW BUSINESS New business topics should be brought to the attention of the person preparing the agenda prior to the meeting Generally, this should be in the form of a motion

SET NEXT MEETING TIME, DATE AND LOCATION Having the Board Calendar set for six months to a year in advance is optimal Putting it in the minutes makes all Board members aware for their future planning, whether they were present or absent

COMMENTS or QUESTIONS???

ADJOURN A “Motion to adjourn” lets everyone know the meeting is over; you may leave, chat or start all the “sidebars”