Open and honest communications between board members build confidence that fosters accountability. This creates an organization’s board that is more connected and active and empowered to take decisions in support of the company’s goals.
From the start of their term the new board members must be informed of their responsibilities and expected outcomes. This includes the necessity to donate time, make connections with colleagues and friends and also participate in fundraising activities. A welcome letter provides information on the communication channels, meeting times as well as other pertinent details to help new board members make their way quickly.
Different people respond to information in different ways, which is why it’s important to tailor board member communications for individual preferences. Some people may prefer reading long reports, whereas others might better understand data visualizations. Make sure that reports and other data are easy to digest by not using technical jargon and utilizing simple language. If needed, use analogies and real-world examples to illustrate the implications or data used in reports.
It’s also important to mix-up the format of board meetings instead of relying on PowerPoint presentations. Mixing up the formats can help to limit the length of meetings and encourage participation and creativity among board members.
Make sure that board members effortlessly access all the information they need, even between meetings. Invest in an electronic document-sharing platform that provides safe, user-friendly functions and a high degree of scalability and compliance with data protection laws. Some of the most well-known solutions are Diligent Boards. BoardEffect. Passageways OnBoard. and Aporio.
