Making Online Board Meetings Productive and Effective
The quality of your board’s meetings depends on how much work members take on prior to each meeting. If they are able to plan their meetings their agendas, they will make online meetings more productive and efficient. A well-prepared team is more likely to stick to the agenda and ensure that they don’t get sidetracked by divergent thoughts.
It’s important to set clear expectations for members of remote boards regarding how they’re required to take part in meetings. For instance, it’s best to remind members to silence themselves and only speak when asked to speak. This will prevent people from talking over one another or leaving the conference without feeling heard. Before starting a meeting, the convenor should ask participants if there are any technological issues they require assistance with.
It’s also beneficial to include the rules for meetings that are virtual in the board member’s orientation materials to ensure that everyone has a thorough understanding of what’s expected of them before the meeting, during, and after the meeting. It’s crucial, for instance to provide the agenda in advance and then follow up the day or morning before to confirm the agenda details. You can also provide what to look for in a board portal provider the link to the meeting or Zoom to participants once more and remind them about any other preferences you have (such as asking them to tune in to the meeting from a quiet space to reduce distractions). It is recommended to include a placeholder for an executive session to every item on the agenda and include this at the beginning of the meeting to avoid confusion.
