There may be laws that require an open meeting in the case of a board comprised of elected members or if you are a non-profit organization or other public entity. These laws are commonly known as Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts and they require the board’s business be conducted in a public manner. Non-members also have the right to attend and in some cases participate in the discussion.
When the board is ready to start, the selected member who was the one who facilitated the previous meeting should «call the meeting to begin». This is usually done by saying «I call this meeting into order» or something similar in a a strong voice. This is usually followed by two taps of the gavel and it signifies that the meeting has officially started.
Be sure to have a well-organized agenda before the board meeting gets underway. The agenda must be concise and clear that outlines the main issues and the key decisions that the board must take. Do not put too many topics on the agenda or using an agenda from a prior meeting.
Being distracted by new topics for discussion http://electronicboardportal.net/ensure-regulatory-compliance-reporting-efficiency-with-top-board-reporting-software can eat up your time and distract your board from the items on your agenda. Consider putting a parking area at the end of your meeting agenda. This is where you can add topics that aren’t high priority. You can promise to revisit these topics in the future or add them to the following meeting.
Request feedback from your board on how the meetings went, and what you could do to improve them. This will help your board members feel more engaged and engaged in the outcome of the meeting.