People are less attentive when it comes to remote board meetings as they would in person. It’s much easier to give in to the temptation to check email, grab a snack or answer the phone. The good thing is that you can overcome many of these challenges by managing your meetings with efficiency. The following best practices will help keep your virtual meetings on track, secure and productive.
Make use of a reliable, online portal with board management software which includes an agenda creator and video integration. It also comes with other useful tools, such as document centers and task managers. These tools will allow you to conduct your meetings without leaving the portal, and ensure that everyone has access to them regardless of their location and time zone or device. It is a good idea to assign a moderator to your meeting. They will oversee the entire system and ensure that the technology is functioning properly.
Send out reminders for the meeting at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. This will lower the number of no-shows and ensure that participants have all the information they require to take part. Use an agenda template to provide specific details of the meeting so that participants don’t get lost during the discussion.
If a board member is unable to attend an online meeting, they must write a statement to the board explaining the reasons for their absence and describing any reasonable accommodations that are requested. The board will then decide if the reason is valid. The board must be fair and uniform throughout the process, which can be complex.