The quality of your board’s meetings will depend on the amount of work participants complete prior to each meeting. Online meetings can be more productive and efficient when participants are prepared. A group that is well-prepared is more likely to stick to the agenda and not get distracted.
It’s important to communicate clearly to board members on the remote how they should participate in meetings. It is best, for instance to remind the participants to turn off their phones when speaking, and only speak when called upon. This will prevent participants from arguing or leaving the meeting not feeling heard. It is also essential for the convenor to ask participants for assistance with a technology problem before starting.
It’s also helpful to include the rules for virtual meetings in board member orientation materials to ensure that everyone has a thorough understanding of what’s expected of them before, during, and following the meeting. For instance, it’s important to distribute 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, then provide them with the link to the meeting or Zoom in a second time, and remind attendees of any other meeting preferences (such as requesting that attendees be in an area with no distractions). It is also recommended to include a placeholder for executive sessions to each agenda item and include this at the start of the meeting to avoid confusion as to whether there is an executive session.
