Online board meetings are an excellent alternative for non-profit boards that are unable or not willing to meet in person due to geographical restrictions, travel costs or busy schedules. They can be challenging to manage in a efficient way, and make sure everyone feels included and engaged. Following some basic best practices can make these virtual meetings more efficient and effective.
Be clear about the meeting materials to board members prior to the meeting, so they can read and answer questions prior to the conference call. This will allow the meeting to move faster, be more concentrated and to provide better insight. Furthermore using a presentation tool like Mentimeter will allow you to gain valuable insights from your participants in the form of dynamic visuals. The information will be included in the minutes of the meeting as a permanent document that can be referred to for years to come.
Encourage attendees to use the camera feature of their devices so that they can be able to see each other, which will help keep everyone interested. Also, set the ground rules to allow everyone to take part in the meeting equally, for example, the chair asking for a hand raise to determine when someone is speaking or asking for people to turn off their ways of increasing productivity and decreasing administrative burden microphones when they are not speaking. It’s also beneficial to limit meetings to 90-minutes and avoid scheduling them around meals so that people don’t eat their meals in front of cameras.
Develop specific discussion topics that include time limits for each item. This will give directors the feeling of urgency in addressing items that are on the agenda. This will also boost productivity. In addition that you are focusing on particular topic areas will eliminate distractions that might otherwise occur during in-person meetings, such as chitchatting with other directors or checking email.
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