Online board meetings offer better scheduling options, while removing the time constraints caused by travel and cost restraints from hotels and flights. They also help reduce groupthink and increase diversity among board members. The world of virtual meetings has its own set of issues, which can lead to poor-quality meetings.
In order to transition from in-person meetings to virtual ones, boards need to change the way they communicate and conduct business. To facilitate communication in an online meeting, a lot elements used in an in-person meeting of the board must be recreated. This includes a physical boardbook, digital presentation, and sharing documents. It can be challenging for board members to navigate technology. The use of a basic board software package helps streamline the process, however additional training on the tool may be required for board members to be successful.
Another challenge of running an online board meeting is keeping the participants engaged and productive during the session. Being distracted by new topics for discussion can consume time and distract from the most important items on the agenda. This can be avoided by preparing an agenda with 20% fewer items, and breaking the discussion into 15 minute segments. Discussion forums for new issues can also be useful.
It is also essential that distant participants can see the faces of people inside the room. This can be accomplished by removing backgrounds, or removing participants from window lighting that could reflect on the screen and obscure images for other board members. Refraining from distractions www.travelboardroom.com/how-to-run-an-effective-business-meeting/ such as cell phones or other devices can help participants focus on the discussion.