There are laws that require open meetings when your board is comprised of elected members or if you are a non-profit organisation or another public entity. These laws, also referred to as Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts mandate that board meetings be conducted in public. Non-members are also allowed to attend and, in certain instances, comment.
When the board is ready to start the member who was the one who facilitated the previous meeting will “call the meeting to begin”. This usually means saying”I call this meeting to be ordered’ or something similar in a commanding voice. In most cases the next step is two taps on the givel to signal that the meeting has officially started.
Be sure to have a well-organized agenda before the meeting begins. The agenda should be clear and concise, highlighting the main topics and the decisions that the board will have to take. Avoid putting too many subjects on the agenda or using an agenda http://electronicboardportal.net/types-of-boards-and-board-members-categories/ from a previous meeting.
Distractions from new discussion topics can take up time and divert your board from the items on your agenda. You might want to consider adding a parking space at the end of your meeting agenda. This is where you can add topics that aren’t considered to be high priority. You can pledge to revisit them later or add them to the following meeting.
Ask your board members for feedback on how the meetings went and what you can do to improve the quality of your meetings. This will make your board members feel more involved and invested in the outcome of the meeting.