I’ve been thinking about ways that any board member could help improve the board. Sometimes it can feel like you can’t do anything until you’re board president. Or that anything you try to do is going to get you labeled a “crank” on the board.

But there are things you can do to improve your board, no matter whether you are new to the organization or a board veteran. And that most basic is simply this: asking questions.

Here are 5 questions you can use right not to improve your board’s decision-making process.

1) “Just to make sure I’m clear on the process, who will be the one to finally decide on this? The board? The executive committee? The Executive Director?”

This can bring a lot of clarity to a decision. Sometimes it can help remove something from the board’s plate (because it’s the ED’s decision). And other times it can help a board focus on what’s important. Even if you think you know the answer to this question, it might be worth putting it out there in this way and let other folks come to the same conclusion you have.

2) “If we’re interested in going down this road, what should our next action be?”

Some board conversations start with visioning and dreaming big. It can feel really good and it can create a lot of positive ideas. (Hopefully, someone is capturing these ideas!) But if there’s a topic that folks have talked and talked about without much actual action to show for it, this question puts “action” front and center. Is it to form a task force? To get bids from vendors? To delegate to the ED? To start a strategic planning process? Or perhaps no one actually wants to go down the road! It was just fun to daydream. Whatever the case, after a good big-picture conversation, this can help a board decide how to turn it into reality.

3) “Should we vote on this?”

Along similar lines, this question has a way of taking a conversation and forcing a decision. If it’s something actionable, it might be a vote. If it’s not, it can help move the conversation along to something new.

4) “It feels like we deal with a question like this every year. Is this something that we should consider a broader policy around?”

The board veterans at the table might have better opportunity to ask this question. But if the same thing crops up again and again before a board, it’s worth thinking about whether it actually needs to or not.

5) “Would you like me to write up something on this and present it at the next meeting?”

This is the ultimate move. And don’t say it unless you mean it! EDs can find real power here as well. A one-page summary or report about a particular topic or issue can be so helpful to a board. And it can save hours of time in a meeting. People need something concrete to react to! Now I’m a fast writer, so perhaps that is why I often gravitate to this idea. But don’t discount it.

Note: if you are not the ED and want to use this idea, I suggest checking in with the ED and/or Board President with whatever you write up before presenting to the full board. Don’t go rogue! Their friendly eyes will help you.

I hope those questions are useful! If you’re not on the board, consider forwarding this email to a board president or your full board.