Effective communication between board members helps to build trust, encourage collaboration in problem solving and encourage participation in key organizational initiatives. This ensures that the board can recognize and mitigate risks, set priorities, and encourage growth opportunities in the organization.
Start by creating clear and consistent channels for feedback for your board members, both during and outside of board meetings. This will allow you to better know your communication style and provide you with the chance to rectify any mistakes quickly.
Use a secure cloud-based board portal to make it easy for your board members to access information. When writing your board communications ensure that you use a simple language that doesn’t contain technical words and acronyms. Visual aids can help make complex information easier to comprehend. Use logic-based formatting to allow your board members to find information.
Take the time to learn about your board members’ lives and interests outside of their professional duties. Understanding what motivates them and how they learn, can aid in communicating with them more effectively – for instance, some people may prefer information to be delivered in written form, whereas others are more comfortable receiving it via text message.
The more you work on improving your board members communications, the stronger the foundation that will be laid for your company’s success in the future. Keep up the good work and try to improve!