In addition to the meeting itself board meetings require a lot of planning by many people. Everyone involved should adhere to the proper manners for a board meeting to ensure that these meetings are as productive and effective as they can. This will ensure that discussions remain on the right track and stop participants from losing their time or distracting other attendees.
To avoid this, it is crucial to communicate the agenda as well as reports and discussion points a few days prior to the meeting. This allows attendees to prepare their questions and suggestions in advance. In addition, if there are actual or potential conflicts of interests that they know about, it is good practice to inform the chair in advance so that he or she can allow the member to declare their conflict and require members to abstain from voting.
Respecting the opinions and contributions of others is a further important aspect of manners of conduct. This means paying attention and not interrupting other speakers, even when you disagree with them. Also, it means speaking clearly and only asking questions if required. It is also an excellent idea to switch your mobile phone off or to silent during the meeting. You should only answer calls from personal phones if an emergency occurs.
This will allow other participants to concentrate and fully be a part of the meeting. The one thing you do not want is for them to get distracted by your mobile phone call or worry about whether your microphone is muted.
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