If your board is made up of elected members, or http://electronicboardportal.net/ensure-regulatory-compliance-reporting-efficiency-with-top-board-reporting-software is a non-profit or similar public entity, there may be laws in place that require an open meeting. These laws, also referred to as Sunshine Laws or Open Meetings Acts, require that board business be conducted in the public. They also grant non-members the right to attend and, in some instances they are allowed to comment.
When the board is ready to start the member who presided over the last meeting should “call the meeting to begin”. This is usually done by saying “I call this meeting into order” or something similar, using a high volume. Then, usually, there are two taps of the givenl which indicates that the meeting has officially begun.
Make sure that you have a clear agenda prior to when the meeting begins. The agenda should be clear and concise and should highlight the most important issues and the key decisions that the board will have to make. Resist putting too many items on the agenda or reusing an agenda from an earlier meeting.
Distractions from new discussion topics can eat up time and divert your board from the things on your agenda. Consider adding a parking space towards the end of your agenda where you can discuss topics that aren’t top priority and make a promise to revisit them in the future, or add them to the next meeting.
Ask your board for feedback on how the meetings went, and what you could do to improve them. This will make your board members feel more involved and invested in the outcome of the meeting.