How to Conduct an Online Board Meeting

Video conferences enable remote board members to see one another, even when they’re using different gadgets. For meetings, nonprofits can choose from a range of video conferencing platforms, including Zoom, GoToMeeting WebEx, and Google Meet. Nonprofits can also utilize software for managing boards that includes an interface for meetings that permits remote participation.

The ability to observe the faces of participants can help encourage more interactive and participatory meetings. To ensure that everyone is heard, have the chair invite board members who haven’t spoken and limit the number of people who speak at the same time. This ensures that no one participant is dominating the discussion and facilitates a more balanced process of decision making. To avoid background noise, make sure that everyone turns off their phones and hit the mute button when they aren’t talking.

Certain directors might not be familiar with the virtual meeting platform and may be hesitant to speak up. This limits their engagement and efficiency. This can be addressed with an interface that is easy to use for meetings or a training session that helps attendees become familiar with the platform, and encouraging to practice prior to the meeting. The board can also create a strict agenda that limits the duration of each item in order to ensure the meeting runs efficiently and the desired result is reached. Board members can highlight or take notes on documents that are digital to enhance their involvement and speed up meetings. They can also share their notes with other members to facilitate collaboration and improve the quality of their minutes.

board members

Written by Roberto Contreras