The quality of your board’s meetings depends on the amount of work your board members prepare prior to each meeting. If participants make the effort to prepare and prepare, they can make online meetings more productive and effective. A group that is well-prepared is more likely to adhere to the agenda and avoid getting sidetracked.
It’s essential to communicate clearly to remote board members how they can participate in meetings. For instance, it’s a good idea to remind people to mute themselves and only speak when requested to speak. This will prevent people from arguing or leaving the conference without feeling heard. It’s also important that the convener ask participants if they need help in a tech issue prior to beginning.
Include the rules for virtual meetings in the board member orientation material so that everyone knows what to expect before, during and after the meeting. It is important, for instance to communicate the agenda in advance and then to follow up the day or morning before to confirm the agenda details. You could also offer the link to the meeting or Zoom to participants again and remind them about any other preferences that you may have (such as the need to ensure that they are able to connect to the meeting from a quiet space to minimize distractions). It is also recommended to include a placeholder for executive sessions to each agenda item and to include this at the start of the meeting to avoid confusion about whether there is an executive session or not.
