Making Online Board Meetings Productive and Effective

The quality of your board meeting depends on the amount of work members perform prior to every meeting. Meetings held online are more productive and efficient when participants prepare. A well-prepared team is also more likely to adhere to the agenda, and make sure that they don’t get sidetracked by divergent thoughts.

It is important to establish clear expectations for members of remote boards on how they are required to take part in meetings. It is best, for instance to remind members that they must mute themselves when speaking and only speak up when asked to do so. This stops people from talking over each other or leaving a meeting not feeling heard. Before beginning a meeting the convenor must ask participants if they ibabs board process have technology problems they need help with.

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