Making Online Board Meetings Productive and Effective

The quality of your board’s meetings will depend on how much work members do before each one. Meetings online can be more productive and efficient if participants prepare. A well-prepared group is more likely to stick to the agenda and avoid getting sidetracked.

It’s crucial to establish clear expectations for members of remote boards on how they’re required to take part in meetings. It’s best, for example to remind members that they should mute themselves when speaking and only speak up when they are asked to. This will prevent people from arguing or leaving the conference without feeling heard. Before starting a meeting, the convenor should ask participants to identify any tech issues they require assistance with.

Include the rules of virtual meetings in the orientation for board members material so that everyone knows what to expect prior to and after the meeting. For instance, it’s crucial to send the agenda ahead of time, and to follow up with attendees a day or early in the morning prior to the meeting to confirm all the details, give them the link to the meeting or Zoom once more and remind them of any other preferences at the meeting (such as requesting that attendees tune in from an area with no distractions). It is recommended that you add a placeholder for an executive session to each item on the agenda, and include it at the start of the meeting in order to avoid confusion.

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Written by Roberto Contreras