First of all, don’t sit back and make the chair do all the hard work. Every board member is responsible for smooth-running board meetings, regularly attending, coming prepared, not dominating the conversation, and focusing the conversation on governance, not management.

Assess whether the chair is capable of fixing the problems you are observing. Are they a great facilitator but a lousy timekeeper? If so, make the suggestion that board members take turns being the timekeeper. Does the chair constantly need to redirect a board member with a personal agenda? Help the chair out and rein that person in as well.

Here are a few tips or group norms that may improve your board meetings. Consider asking each board member to agree to abide by the following:

1. Listen carefully. Ask tough questions, but don’t do it for the sake of causing dissent.
2. Avoid simply repeating what others have said; it just wastes time.
3. Find patterns and commonalities, as well as differences. Explore the differences to find the best answer.
4. Don’t focus your opinion and advocate for it. Instead, listen to the perspectives of others, question your own assumptions, and bring it all together for the best answer.
5. Ask for focus from fellow trustees. Give feedback when you think others are not contributing to the effective functioning of the group.
6. Use parliamentary procedure to “call the question,” if you feel that discussion has lasted too long. But use this tool carefully!

Updated October 21, 2024 18:59