www.boardroomother.com/board-meeting-etiquette-5-important-rules
In addition to the meeting itself, board meetings require a great deal of preparation from many people. To ensure that these meetings are as efficient and productive as is possible all participants must follow the rules of a board meeting. This will ensure that the discussion stays on the right track and stop participants from losing their time or distracting other participants.
It is important to avoid this by sending out the agenda, the report, and the talk points a few days before the meeting. This allows participants to prepare their questions and remarks in advance. It is also an excellent idea to inform the chair in advance that a member has a conflict of interests, whether it’s real or possible. This will allow him or her to let the member declare the conflict and to expect to be absent.
Another important piece of etiquette is respecting others’ opinions and contributions. Listening attentively to other speakers and refraining from interrupting them even if you do not agree with their opinion, is part of this. Also, it means speaking clearly and only asking questions when necessary. In addition, it’s an excellent idea to switch off or put on silent your cellphone during the meeting and only make personal calls in a crisis.
This will help the participants concentrate and take part in the meeting to the fullest extent. The one thing you do not want is for them to be distracted by your mobile phone call or worry about whether or not your microphone is muted.